Kirkland Drunk Driving Defense Attorney
Lynnwood Felony DUI Lawyer
I am Schöen Parnell, a criminal defense attorney with more than 13 years of experience. If you have been charged with DUI, contact my law offices in Kirkland or Lynnwood for a free consultation. Otherwise, visit the following pages for more information about DUI defense:
The defenses available to you in a DUI/DWI case will be very fact-specific to your situation. They may include challenging the legality of the stop and subsequent arrest, or finding fault with the way the officer conducted the field sobriety tests and the breath/blood test. Also, video footage from the police station or the patrol car camera may contradict the police report.
Field Sobriety Test and Breath Test Defenses
I have undergone extensive training in the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, and am certified as an SFST instructor. This training qualifies me to train police officers in how to conduct these roadside tests. Quite often an officer does not conduct these tests properly. Their training manual states that if they deviate from the standardized way of conducting the tests, that their findings are compromised. Furthermore, recent problems in the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory have led to the suppression of hundreds of breath tests around the state. Your case may benefit from these recent rulings.
I have been a guest speaker at DUI seminars and have taught attorneys how to conduct these Department of Licensing administrative hearings. I have won many of these “unwinnable” hearings, saving my clients their licenses and three years of increased insurance rates.
For a commercial driver, a license suspension can mean the loss of your job and your livelihood. Even after the end of your commercial driver's license suspension period, you may not be able to afford the cost of high-risk (SR-22) insurance.
It is illegal for drivers under the age of 21 to be in physical control of a vehicle with an alcohol concentration of .02 or higher. A 12-ounce can of beer puts most people at a .02 alcohol concentration — which is close to zero tolerance for drivers under 21.
The Washington State Legislature created this crime in 2007. A fifth DUI in 10 years is now a felony. I was hired to represent one of the first persons charged in Washington with this new crime and was the first defense lawyer to take one to trial in King County. Another King County defense attorney referred this Felony DUI defendant to me.
Vehicular Homicide and Vehicular Assault
Many attorneys overlook the crucial defenses made available when a breath or blood test has been taken in a vehicular assault or vehicular homicide case. A well-trained DUI defense attorney knows what issues to look for and how they might affect your case.
If you are arrested for drunk driving on a U.S. military base, you will face a federal DUI/DWI charge. Many drunk driving defense lawyers have never handled a federal DUI. You can be confidant that I have and know how to deal with your federal prosecutor.
A good DUI defense is more complex than most felony charges. There are many technical defenses available in DUI cases that a general criminal defense lawyer may not be aware of. That's why you need an experienced DUI defense attorney to defend you.
Upon your arrest for DUI in Washington, two actions are brought against you: an administrative action brought by the Department of Licensing (DOL) seeking to take away your driving privileges and a criminal action brought by the state, city, or federal government.
Washington's DUI penalties are among the strictest in the nation. A DUI defense attorney can help you understand exactly what you are facing.
Boating under the influence (BUI) is a misdemeanor in Washington. If you have been charged with BUI, I will apply the same experience and knowledge as I do in DUI defense cases, working toward the best possible results in your case.
Any attorney can walk into a prosecutor's office and try to negotiate a plea bargain. However, only an experienced criminal defense lawyer will know if a particular offer from the prosecutor is right for your case.
Free Consultation With an Experienced DUI Defense Lawyer
Contact drunk driving defense lawyer Schöen Parnell any time of the day or night for a free consultation.
