Seattle DUI Attorney

Effective Defense for Driving Under the Influence Charges

After being charged with DUI, most people feel very pressured and anxious about how this type of charge will affect their life. The majority of people feel ashamed, embarrassed, and regretful after their arrest, but a Seattle DUI lawyer from our firm is here to tell you that you are not alone. Thousands of people are charged with drunk driving every year in Washington, and with the legal limit being .08 percent, there is not much room for error. Depending upon your physical size, what type of alcohol you consumed, and whether or not you consumed any food before drinking, it could take as few as one or two beers to put you over the legal limit.

With the fatality and injury rate being so high in Seattle drunk driving accidents, police officers are very tough on any individuals they find to be driving under the influence. Even if you show no outward signs of intoxication, if they suspect you have been drinking, a blood or breath testwill be administered to determine your blood alcohol content. If your alcohol concentration is .08 percent or higher as shown by analysis of your breath or blood, you could becharged with DUI.

Areas of Practice

The Seattle DUI defense lawyers at our firm can help you with the following legal issues related to drunk driving, including your second or subsequent DUI charge, felony DUI or a DUI accident. Additionally, our firm handles cases relating to underage DUI, out of state DUI, vehicular assault or vehicular manslaughter.

As an experienced law firm, we will conduct thorough investigations to review the field sobriety tests and any other tests conducted at the time or after your arrest. We will also provide you with information regarding your DUI charge, the rights you have, the possible penalties you may face and the defense strategies we can use to take your case on. A Seattle DUI defense attorney at our office will also be able to represent your rights at the DOL hearing to help prevent the revocation of your driver's license.

A thorough understanding of these topics and the dedication to see your case through to the best possible outcome allow our attorneys to provide high-quality DUI defense counsel to clients throughout Washington. Even if you took abreath test that showed a result that was above the legal limit, and even if you took field sobriety tests and were told by the officer that you performed poorly, there still may be ways that a competent lawyer can defend you against a drunk driving conviction. By questioning every step of the way, challenging all flaws and looking for every angle, you can breathe easier knowing that a knowledgeable, experienced Seattle DUI attorney is working to fight for your rights and protect your future in every possible way.

DUI Lawyer Serving Clients in Seattle, Washington

You may have been arrested for DUI and may assume that there is no way to avoid a conviction because of your performance on field sobriety tests or the outcome of abreath or blood test that Seattle law enforcement administered after your arrest. Although there may be evidence that the prosecuting attorney will be more than happy to use against you, there are also strategies that your DUI defense attorney can utilize to counter your charges. For example, what if the arresting officer pulled you over when you had not violated a traffic law of any kind, but only stopped you because you were leaving a bar? What if your field sobriety tests were not properly administered? What if the device used to conduct the breath test was not properly maintained or calibrated?

When tackling the complexity of a DUI case, it's important to look at every angle. While blood, breath and sobriety tests are often administered, they are known for being faulty and flawed. When looking to build up your defense, we will leave no stone unturned in our attempts to bring you the optimum outcome. Such things that we will look at will include the accuracy of the breath test. In many cases, health concerns can change the final reading and give an inaccurate BAC level. Emphysema, GERD, asthma, bronchitis and diabetes are all things that can cause an inaccurate test result. Other factors such as improper testing equipment, procedures and outside influences can also all come into play.

Sobriety tests are yet another device used for police officers to determine the level of the driver's impairment. However, these are often under fire as well as they are designed in part to facilitate failure. An experienced DUI attorney will look at these tests and question the subjectivity, the accuracy, and credibility of the officer administering the tests. These are just a few issues that an attorney may look at when building a defense against your drunk driving charges. You can rest assured that we will look towards every detail, combing over everything provided to give you the strongest case we can possibly build. While we understand that you might consider it an impossible situation, with our thorough, dedicated approach to defending you, there is no such thing as hopeless.

Of course, the specific strategies we may use and the outcome of your case may vary depending on a number of different factors. If you would like to get more information about your particular arrest and charges, feel free to contact a Seattle DUI lawyer at our law offices to talk about what we can do to help you.

Contact a Seattle DUI Attorney Today

The extremity of drunk driving charges should never be downplayed because a conviction for this type of offense could result in some very harsh penalties. The exact penalties depend on how high a person's BAC is at the time of the arrest, as well as whether or not they have any previous DUI convictions on their criminal record. A DUI conviction could mean jail time, large fines, alcohol treatment or rehabilitation, probation, driver's license suspension, and the possible installation of an ignition interlock device on your car. The higher your BAC, the more severe the penalty you will probably face.

Drinking and driving is a serious criminal offense that has recently caught the eye of many law makers and enforcers. Throughout the country, law enforcement officers are taking greater measures to pull over and arrest any persons they suspect to be driving under the influence. This has led to many more sobriety checkpoints and pullovers for suspicion of DUI throughout the Seattle area. This crackdown has resulted in many more arrests for drinking and driving; however, many of these cases deserve more attention from a legal professional before an actual conviction is made. Field sobriety tests that police officers use to quickly asses the intoxication level of a driver are far from accurate in the results that they yield. If you were arrested based on the outcome of a field sobriety test performance, or you believe that you were pulled over wrongfully you could have a case on your hands, and we are here to help.

The DUI defense lawyers at our firm have a great deal of experience representing clients in drunk driving cases and will figure out a way to defend you from your charges. Your DUI attorney will perform a thorough evaluation of the equipment that was used to test your blood alcohol content in order to determine if any errors are responsible for an inaccurate BAC. If there is any way to prevent a DUI conviction, an attorney from our firm will be sure to find it. Whether we are building a defense on the accuracy and legality of your blood alcohol concentration or the existence of probable cause, implied consent warning or Miranda rights, you can be confident that your future is being fought for in every possible way to help you towards a bright future.

Our firm is proud to serve the communities of Seattle, Kent and Renton.

If you or a loved one has been charged with drunk driving, contact a Seattle DUI defense lawyer at Baker, Lewis, Schwisow & Laws, PLLC today to discuss your case!