DUI Defense Lawyer in King and Snohomish Counties
For more information about a topic, click on the heading.
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, 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 gone through the same field sobriety test training course as most police officers. 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.
Washington DOL Hearings
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, thereby saving my clients their licenses.
Commercial Driver's License
For a commercial driver, a DUI conviction or losing the DOL hearing can mean the loss of your job, 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.
Felony DUI
The legislature just 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.
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 DUI defense attorney knows what issues to look for and how they might affect your case.
Military Base DUI
If you are arrested for drunk driving on a U.S. military base, you will face a federal DUI/DWI charge. Many DUI lawyers have never handled a federal DUI. You can be confidant that I have and know how to deal with your federal prosecutor.
Why Consult a DUI Attorney?
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.
Washington DUI Process
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.
DUI Penalties
Washington’s DUI penalties are the strictest in the nation. A DUI defense attorney can help you understand exactly what you are facing.
Criminal Defense
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 plea bargain is right for your case.
Free Consultation With an Experienced DUI Defense Lawyer
Contact DUI defense lawyer Schöen Parnell any time of the day or night for a free consultation.
