Washington Felony DUI Lawyer – Kirkland & Lynnwood

In Washington state, driving under the influence can be charged as a felony in certain circumstances: If you have four or more prior offenses in the past 10 years or if you have a prior conviction for a DUI-related vehicular assault or vehicular homicide. Being charged with a felony raises the stakes in DUI defense, since you are face life-changing penalties.

I’m Schöen Parnell, a DUI attorney with offices in Lynnwood and Kirkland, WA. I handled one of the first felony DUI cases that came to trial in Washington state. Before I opened my own law practice, I was a former lead jury trial attorney for one of the busiest DUI defense law firms in the Seattle area.

If you are convicted of felony DUI, you may be facing a sentence of more than two years in the state prison. Once you are released, you will be branded with a felony conviction for the rest of your life, which will make it harder to find work. You will be barred from voting and possessing a firearm. When the consequences of a conviction are this high, you need an experienced felony DUI attorney.

Reviewing Past DUI Convictions

One way to avoid a fifth DUI conviction is to eliminate past convictions. There are many defenses in DUI cases that many criminal defense lawyers may not be aware of. Depending on the quality of your previous defense, I may be able to find problems with your prior convictions. As your lawyer, I will review your past DUI convictions to see if there are problems that can cause a prior conviction to be thrown out.