Southeast Michigan Operating While Intoxicated Attorneys
Drunk driving—or Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) or Operating While Visibly Impaired (OWVI)—is one of the most specialized areas of criminal defense.
While many attorneys attempt to handle drunk driving defense (including many who specialize in divorce or personal injury), few understand the ever-changing statutes, sanctions, and defenses associated with these charges. At Simon & Geherin, PLLC, drunk driving/OWI defense is a substantial part of our practice. Our attorneys are thoroughly versed in the intricacies of these defenses, such as blood alcohol testing, field sobriety test techniques, constitutional protections and proper police investigations. We have successfully defended cases both in pretrial litigation and in trial.
In 2004, Michigan's legal bodily alcohol limit was decreased from .10 to .08, meaning more and more people have been charged with this embarrassing yet significant crime. Further, many prosecuting agencies have policies preventing plea reductions if you were involved in an accident or if your breath/blood level was greater than .15.
On January 3, 2007, our legislature decided that a person can be charged with Felony Drunk Driving if they have two or more priors in their ENTIRE LIFETIME.
If you are under 21 years old, you could be charged with OWI if you have ANY level of alcohol in your system.
If you have the presence of any controlled substances in your blood — including marijuana —you might be charged with Operating With the Presence of a Controlled Substance, even if that substance had zero effect on your driving ability.
If charged under Michigan's new "Super Drunk" law (.17 blood-alcohol content or greater), you could lose your driver's license immediately for 45 days, no questions asked, and be required to submit to a "breath tube" for another 320 days, even if you have no prior arrests or convictions.
If you are convicted of OWI or OWVI, you face significant sanctions including but not limited to the following:
- Incarceration
- Probation
- Significant fines
- Prohibition against drinking alcohol
- Re-payment of prosecutor/police costs
- Immobilization of your vehicle
- Community service
- Substance abuse counseling/treatment
- Substantial testing/monitoring for alcohol/controlled substances
- A conviction on your record for the rest of your life!
Further, the Secretary of State will take action against your license, independent of the courts. Your driver's license may be restricted, suspended, or revoked, and you may have points added to your driving record; you may have to pay the Secretary of State hundreds or thousands of dollars in "responsibility fees."
In short, the reductions and changes in Michigan's laws have brought people into the criminal justice system who need skilled, specialized attorneys to handle this important defense. We understand the intricacies of breath testing machines. We constantly review new case law and statutes to look for defenses to these charges. In short, we have applied our skills, background and experience to successfully defend countless people charged with this offense.
Regrettably, many unqualified attorneys represent people charged with drunk driving with no plan other than to plead their clients guilty. Other attorneys claim to be "experts" in drunk driving cases and charge excessive fees for this representation. At our firm, we are highly qualified to defend this charge, and keep our fees reasonable for our aggressive, intelligent and thorough representation.
We have represented doctors, dentists, students, teachers, auto workers, professors, and even fellow attorneys charged with OWI. We verify that the police follow every single administrative rule, constitutional protection, and evidentiary safeguard. We use several experts to challenge artificially high blood/breath levels. Put simply, we have the skill, desire, and experience to handle your OWI case.
Driving Offenses/Accidents
- A routine accident results in a reckless driving citation. You simply pay the ticket. Suddenly, the Secretary of State informs you that you have lost your driver's license for three months without exemptions for employment or any other purpose.
- You fail to change lanes when a police officer has someone else pulled over on the side of the road. Instantly, you are pulled over and charged with a misdemeanor.
- You pay a speeding ticket. Your point total grows and the Secretary of State suspends your right to drive.
- You bump another car at a mall parking lot and leave. You receive notice in the mail that you have been charged with hit and run and that you will have six points added to your driving record.
These are just some examples of how "routine" traffic or driving offenses can drag you into the criminal justice system. Even if you have lived your whole life crime-free, you might find yourself facing an angry judge and zealous prosecutor after a simple traffic accident or citation. For years, we have aided people who find themselves in this horrible ordeal. We care about your case and will not treat it as trivial or "routine."
We represent truck drivers and trucking companies in speeding tickets and for other civil infractions. We represent students, professionals, and retirees charged with traffic offenses, persons who have been involved in accidents and cited "at fault" drivers. In sum, if the traffic or driving offense is important enough for a court to be involved, it is important enough to call attorneys who know the laws, who will challenge citations, and who will treat your case as important as any other criminal offense.
Simon & Geherin, PLLC, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, provides a quality drunk driving defense that puts our clients' legal needs, and their driver's license, first.
Simon & Geherin attorneys want to put our clients back on the road, so they can continue getting to their jobs and providing for their families. That is why we aggressively challenge breath and blood testing results, functionality of testing equipment, administration of field sobriety tests and any police procedure that may have violated any rights at the time of arrest.
Contact our Simon & Geherin, PLLC, law offices. We are located directly across from the University of Michigan football stadium. Otherwise we can meet with clients at a police station or jail. Your initial consultation is free.
Your Free Consultation With Our Ann Arbor OWI Defense Lawyers
Call 24 hours 734-997-0870, or e-mail us.
