We have extensive experience
Whether a first offense, or a criminal offense, the lawyers at Hurley, Burish & Stanton, S.C. have the experience you need. We have been representing drivers in municipal courts and circuit courts at all levels of impaired driving offenses for more than 40 combined years. We have the expertise in Fourth Amendment suppression issues, and in the field sobriety testing which the police use to build a case for an arrest. Our lawyers have trial experience, and experience negotiating in those cases where litigation is simply not in the best interests of the client.
First Offense
Drivers charged with impaired driving offenses (OWI) appear in municipal and circuit courts in Wisconsin every day. Although Wisconsin is the last state in the union which treats a first offense impaired driving charge as a civil moving violation, the consequences of a conviction in this state for first offense OWI are severe. They include the loss of license for six to nine months, the loss of a CDL for a year, increased insurance rates, potential ignition interlock orders, and thousands of dollars in potential forfeitures and costs. These consequences mandate that simply going to court alone and allowing a conviction to be entered is the second worst decision that a driver can make.
Repeat offenses
In Wisconsin courts, a repeat offense for impaired driving, or a first offense impaired driving with a minor passenger or causing injury, great bodily harm or death, all carry increased consequences, not the least of which is a criminal conviction. Mandatory minimum jail penalties accompany these offenses, with exposure to sentences to prison attending fourth or fifth offenses and those offenses involving great bodily harm or death. Most individuals who receive a citation for a first offense do not find themselves in a similar situation in the future. However, there are drivers who do find themselves charged criminally in our courts.
We have the experience needed to investigate and evaluate your case.
We have the experience needed to investigate and evaluate your case. We will provide an honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in the evidence, and guide you toward those steps which can make a difference in the outcome. For those drivers who are charged criminally, experienced legal representation is very important. Most misdemeanor offenses in the state of Wisconsin do not carry mandatory minimum jail sentences. OWI offenses are the exception. A second offense carries a jail penalty of between five days and six months. A third offense has a higher penalty of 45 days to one year, and a fourth offense, if within five years of the third offense, is a felony charge with exposure to a potential sentence to prison. Because of this range of mandatory minimum penalties and potential for felony and prison sentences, a lawyer well versed in OWI representation is very important.
We guarantee that you will understand your case
We provide experienced, effective representation in these matters at competitive rates. While no lawyer can guarantee an outcome, we guarantee that you will understand what is occurring at each step in the process of your case so that you feel most assured at getting the attention and expertise that you deserve.
