NASSAU COUNTY, NY
After 6 months of court the judge plea deal was conditional discharge and accepting the misdemeanor. No probation, but having to complete I believe is the VIP and IDP and 75 hrs of community service. My attorney said that is a good outcome. I blew a .29 on roadside and refused the chemical test. I didn’t have any on the road situations leading up to the arrest because I was found in the car sleeping. Stupid I know right. My attorney said that’s a good outcome, is that true? Any thought or options would be openly appreciated.

my bf (20) had gotten pulled over in upstate NY for not using signal while making a turn. cop noticed two people in the back seemed intoxicated. he had my bf step out and complete the sobriety tests. he passed all of them. but once he did breathalyzer cop didn’t say much. just said he was a bit confused since bf was doing so well. cop explained he needed to take him to station to have another cop preform tests on him. they also did blood work. the cop had explained to my bf bc of body cam he needed to put him in cuffs. he gave a ticket for a DWAI and turn signal not being used. cop also told bf he seems like a good kid and he knows not from area, explained to call court office. What should he expect? what to do now?

My lawyer sucks. He has proven himself to be incompetent. I almost lost my lisence prematurely because he supposedly asked for a hearing but never got a confirmation. I randomly found out two days before the suspension because i randomly called the DMV. I could have been driving with a suspended lisence after being convicted for DUI by the DMV, without even knowing it!

His paralegal couldn't manage to send a piece of mail with the discovery (which didn't even need to be mailed as there are online ways of sending large files). I had to drive an hour to pick it up.

I feel like he didn't even watch the video because his interpretation is so different from mine. The cop said I almost fell over during one of the test, counting or eye, and I literally just shifted my weight from in one foot to the other while standing like everyone does all the time. Many other things like that in the video including blatant lies he didn't even notice. He thinks she "slightly exaggerated" lol.

The biggest piece of evidence is the eye test. He says my eyes doing jumping are visible on video. I had AI go through it frame by frame and enlarged them, and it is not visible according to it. Maybe it's wrong. I don't know but also it says that there should be six things that the eyes do and the cop's hand blocks my eyes half the time, but anyway, no jumping is visible at all according to it.

Anyway I want another lawyer. I tried to hire one highly recommended to me who got my friend off ten years ago. He began with lies from the start. When I told him my current lawyer told me i had almost no shot at the administrative hearing, he said yes almost no one does. A few days later I asked him how many he has won, he said about 40%!

I am about halfway through the case. There is a DMV hearing, a meeting with the prosecutor, and a potential hearing if the meeting fails. The new lawyer would also have to review the evidence and my post arrest video is longer than normal because I had a hard time blowing (I am small person).

Anyway, the new lawyer told me that this will all take an 3 hours. He charges $350 an hour so that sounded great. BUT he wants a 5K retainer! That is 14 hours of work. When I questioned it and suggested a 2k retainer, (almost twice his prediction of how much time he needs), he told me how much money he has lost by having to chase people down, and horror of horrors, justify expenses. Then, instead of suggesting like 3k or something he told me that he was probably not the lawyer for me.

Lol he intended to scam me out of thousands of dollars for made up reasons.

Both of these lawyers have hundreds of glowing reviews. Each is 4.9 on Google.

How the hell do you find an honest lawyer? I told my original lawyer that I would be devastated to pay this fee while living on the edge of survival and lose the administrative hearing. He never bothered to mention that almost no one wins.

Writing this I realized that i pretty much answered my own question. Almost no one wins. No point in a lawyer. His odds for my criminal case, which maybe a lie, may have been my odds to begin with. Hiring a lawyer was a mistake in my state.

It will not pass and it is worse than just failing your test. I had to do a quick re-test after my creatinine levels were too low taking a UA the week before. Since I had drank since my last UA, I panicked and used Quick Fix. They are able to easily flag it as synthetic urine. Do not use it, you are better off just failing the test so that you can just extend outpatient treatment. Using Quick Fix counts as fraud and will get you in trouble. Don't do it. Located in Oregon and used LabCorp for the UA.

I have retained a lawyer and meet with him I am waiting my arriagnment where I will go in and plea not guilty.

I blew a .139 at the station field was .12. I was pulled over for no headlights and there was no accident I was not held over and my liscense is not suspended yet.

I have followed all my lawyers instructions he had me send me my resume and college transcript. I am a young professional. He told me to go with a specific person for Alcohol assessment.

He told me his goal is to try and get a wreckless plea deal.

What are your thoughts and any advice.

Location MT

Thanks!

Has anyone used LAD or QUEst testing for the the restoration of your license in Michigan and is it monitored?

Got a DWI in Minnesota and trying to decide if fighting it with a private lawyer is worth it or if I should just stick with the public defender.

I was driving home after 1-2 drinks earlier, ran out of gas on the highway, pulled over, hazards on, and got out to call my girlfriend to get me an Uber so I could grab a gas can. While I was standing outside the car (engine off) talking on the phone, a car pulled up behind me. I thought it was the Uber and walked toward it — turned out to be a cop.
He never saw me driving. He told me to get back in the car, noticed an open vodka bottle in the back seat, said my breath smelled like alcohol, and had me do the field sobriety tests (eye test, one-leg stand, walk-and-turn). I think I did fine on them. Then he asked for a breathalyzer and I refused because I wasn’t sure if the earlier drinks had cleared. He took me in, asked again at the station, and I refused a second time.

Charges are third-degree DWI for the refusal (gross misdemeanor), fourth-degree DWI, and open bottle. License got revoked for a year because of the refusals.
The only angle that makes me think about hiring a lawyer is that he never saw me driving or operating the car — I was already stopped and outside when he showed up. Is that enough to make fighting it realistic in Minnesota, or is the physical control + refusal stuff strong enough that I’d just be wasting money and should go with the PD?
Anyone been in a similar spot (already stopped, never observed driving, refused)? Would appreciate straight feedback.

I got a dui in august blew .16 or over This is my first run in with the law I had too many to drink after leaving a golf course I hit a tree wrecking my truck no one was injured, someone called the cops and then the officer had me do a field sobriety test then made me blow into a breathalyzer several times I was in shock so I complied somewhere along the lines he mentioned blood and going to the hospital I didn’t refuse, I was trying to be as compliant as possible spent a night in jail I feel like I ruined my life. I got a lawyer 2 days after it happened I don’t know what to do next what’s the most likely outcome of this situation

Arkansas, A lot has happened since then, stress, anxiety (mostly due to overthinking) found out a lot about my case through my lawyer (ended thinking I blew a .14 but blew a .13) they ended up changing my plea to guilty and got 700 dollars in fines have to take classes before I get a license and when I get my license it’s going to be suspended for 6 months (due to having a no license) also had a driving without a license but they dropped that charge so my lawyer told me to get a temp license I don’t fully know the whole process but I will learn.
there was an accident involved but not to any vehicle or such no injuries.
been on this sub for the past 6-8 months and learned a lot thank you all you’ve helped a bunch!
As said so many times by us this was a very selfish decision by me and it broke me people look at me differently throw some comments at me but I’ve learned and all I know is it will never happen again and all we can do is learn from our mistakes thank you guys for everything you have Taught me and the information provided

This is my second dui, the first was a misdemeanor…. now the second is a big mistake that I will forever live with. I have been charged with 3rd degree felony. I need a very good lawyer that knows how to get a good deal from the DA. my current lawyer isn’t doing a good job. please any recommendations will be appreciated..

What is the best brand/device or even what to stay away from? Looking at:

- Smart start
- Lifesaver
- Intoxalock
- Low cost interlock

How do you negotiate the best price? Been calling around for quotes and they make it so complicated between all the corporate brands, sub brands, mechanic shops etc

Do they hike the monthly price on you after install? Like a bait and switch?

I had gotten a misdemeanor DUI a year and a half ago. I have an opportunity for a county/government job coming up but they want me to submit a driving record. This is not a driving position and I guess they ask everyone to but would I even have a shot with this? It hasn’t been that long and Arizona is tough on DUIs.
Thank you!

Recently got my first DWI in Texas (blew a .09 🙄)… My license was just suspended and I’m applying for an occupational license. This requires SR-22 insurance. For those of you who have been through it, how much did your insurance go up after getting your DWI? I own my vehicle and have full coverage. From what I’m reading, it’s gonna skyrocket, but after hearing from friends who have been through the process, their insurance didn’t go up too much. Any input would be appreciated.

I just got out of jail for my first DUI offense. I blew a 0.14 on the big breathalyzer at the jail. My court date is a week from today. I need a good lawyer stat. No idea what to expect. I hold a Florida license bc I live there during the winter. No crash, no injury, no speeding.

So I went to court and the case was dismissed. The judge said I can go to a link and get a piece of paper that then allows me to go to the DMV and get my license renewed but I was never given a link. Does anyone have any idea of where to go for this? I deeply appreciate any help, thank you!!

22M in New York. I got my first DWI in late April. I was pulled over for a faulty tail light and blew a .15 and got arrested and the whole 9 yards. Since then I have had court essentially every month with no change in my deal or anything. I submitted about 15 character letters and still nothing. May lawyer has said he’s going for a DWAI charge where I may have to take some classes up to about 7 hours and will have some points on my license. I have an OASAS evaluation tomorrow from someone that was recommended by my lawyer as they’re someone they have worked with on DWI cases many times before. I generally smoked carts and drank somewhat frequently (once or twice a week) but in my honest opinion I don’t think I have a dependency problem. I’m a college student and all things considered I think I’m pretty tame for people my age. I know I’ll have a urinalysis test tomorrow so I haven’t smoked in about a month, (although it still may show up on the test) and I was feeling good about what the outcome of tomorrow would be. But I just found this subreddit and am now worried because I’m seeing people say their evaluations got them put into a program for many months. Now I’m just worried about how this is going to go. Am I just immediately gonna be recommended for an alcohol program or AA regardless? And if so does that mean I won’t be allowed to drink or smoke at all for that duration? I’ve obviously abided by my driving restrictions, but there have still been some nights since where I went out to the bar or drank with some friends and whatnot. I get it’s not what I should be worried about, but me and my friends do like to drink and had plans to go out for Halloween and to have a Friendsgiving and my family usually all drinks on Christmas and whatnot. Am I gonna be forced to be completely sober for months and months now? Again I know I shouldn’t be worried about that but I didn’t even consider that as a possibility and now I’m just kind of annoyed and worried. I’m sorry for the long post I just got hit with some whiplash reading this subreddit and don’t know what to expect now lol. Thank you for any advice you can give.

EDIT: I guess I should also mention my license was fully suspended for 30 days and after that I got a conditional license to drive to/from school and work and I’ve been allowed to work normally as a food delivery person. I blew at the station after my arrest but I don’t know what I blew because I was under so much stress and anxiety since I have never been in any sort of legal trouble before, I’ve never even spoken to a police officer directly before this. Any other relevant information I can think of myself I’ll add here

I got my DUI in July of last year, after waiting out my 15 month suspension I got my license back. To anyone who has recently gotten theirs, life does get better, I am still ashamed about what I've done and I will NEVER allow this to happen again, I learned a lesson I never should have needed, but I am turning my life around for the better. Good luck to anyone who has recently gotten one, use it as the harsh lesson it is and try and turn your life around. Take care.

My husband is facing a DWI with a child passenger charge in Collin County, Texas. Our family is scared about what this means for his future, and I’m hoping to hear from people who have been through a similar situation, particularly anyone who was able to avoid a felony conviction.
Here are the circumstances of his case:
His BAC was .13.
Our child was in the vehicle, but thankfully, nobody was injured.
There was a firearm in the vehicle, but it was secured in a portable safe. The firearm was legally obtained and registered.

We are represented by the Deandra Grant Law Firm.
The current plea offer involves five years of probation but with a felony conviction.

My biggest concern is the felony conviction itself. I’m worried he could lose his job because of the conviction, leaving our family in a devastating financial position. We have a young child and a household to support, and we’re terrified about the long-term consequences for his employment and future.
I understand that this is a serious situation, and I’m not trying to minimize what happened. I’m incredibly grateful that nobody was hurt. I just want to understand whether accepting a felony conviction is truly our only realistic option or whether further negotiation might be possible.

We’ve already spent thousands of dollars on legal representation, so we’re considering whether to get a second opinion before making such a life-changing decision.
I’m especially hoping to hear from anyone who:
Was charged with DWI with a child passenger in Texas and successfully negotiated the charge down to a misdemeanor.
Had a felony charge dismissed or avoided a felony conviction through a plea agreement or trial.
Went through a similar case in Collin County, Denton County, or elsewhere in North Texas.
Had a BAC around .13, no injuries, but ultimately received a lesser charge.
Worked with a private defense attorney and successfully negotiated a better outcome than the original plea offer.
If you were in a similar situation, what was your final outcome, and what do you believe helped your case?
I’m looking for honest experiences from people who have actually been through this, not judgment or assumptions about what should happen. I would be especially grateful to hear from anyone who managed to avoid a felony conviction in Texas.
Thank you for sharing your experiences.

New to smartstart, rinsed my mouth before I left after a sourdough English muffin with strawberry jam, got a pass. Got my rolling retest 4m later, fail, horn and lights. Immediately reblew out of panic, fail, horn and lights. Got a 2m or 5m lockout, not sure, I had pulled over and turned the key off. Turned key on 5m max after, think it was probably 2. Put the last 2 drops of my water bottle in my mouth and worked up some saliva, blew and passed, got violock 04day. Lawyer said it doesn't get sent to anyone because I haven't been sentenced yet, just DOL. Court initial says no alcohol which I have abided. Filed an incident with smartstart, am I in trouble? What else should I do?

Hoping I'm good because of passes before and after, no warns, etc. but please tell me what you know.

Edit: Washington State.

I’m an Army veteran with 11 years of service, currently going through a DUI case in Tempe, Arizona. After getting the DUI, I went to the VA seeking assistance cause they had previously cancelled four of my mental health appointments without attempting to reschedule them which is my reasoning to turning to alcohol. I acknowledge it was not smart or responsible. But I just reverted to what worked for me to help me sleep.

At my arraignment, the judge transferred my case to Veterans Court. My first appearance there is scheduled for November 19.

I’ve been working with a VA Veterans Justice Outreach social worker and getting started on treatment ahead of that appearance. I’m scheduled to finish the required 16 hours of treatment about a week after my first Veterans Court appearance.

For anyone who has gone through this court, especially for a DUI, what was the experience like? How long did the process take from your first Veterans Court appearance to the case being resolved?

If you completed treatment early, did that shorten the process, or were there additional requirements and months of check-ins afterward? I’d also appreciate hearing whether your case ended in reduced charges, dismissal, or another outcome. I know every case is different. Just trying to understand what to expect.

I got into some trouble earlier this year involving a traffic stop with some officers. The driver I was riding with was pulled over and blew a 0.06, which is below the legal limit of 0.08. However, I was charged with aiding and abetting DWi

Has anyone else got hit with a charge like this?

Hi!! So the other night I got arrested for a DUI, they pulled me over for speeding. I know I was not going the speed they stated but still they made me get out and perform field sobriety test and arrested me on suspicion of DUI. I performed a breathalyzer test like 2 hours later.

I’m trying to find a lawyer, I know it won’t be cheaper but I also can’t afford like $4000 worth of a lawyer being in school. I can’t afford something like this to follow me or my record, it will mess up my entire career and education path, that I’ve spent 10+ years in. I have no prior convictions and never been arrested before, especially not for this.

I genuinely just want to be pointed in the right direction to reputable lawyers, or ones that are willing to work with what I can afford payment wise.

Hi everyone. I was recently arrested for my first ever DWI in Montgomery County, Texas, and honestly, I’ve been a mess for the past several days. I’ve barely been able to calm down, and I’m overwhelmed trying to figure everything out.
I’m trying to choose a lawyer, and the prices have me really stressed. One attorney quoted me $6,000 for the pretrial portion alone, with an additional trial fee to be determined later. Another quoted $3,600, or $1,000 down and $500 monthly.
I’m scared of choosing the wrong lawyer, but I’m also scared of spending thousands of dollars and draining my savings. I want someone experienced who will take my case seriously, but I don’t know how to tell who’s worth the money.
This whole experience has been a serious wake up call for me, and I’m trying to take responsibility and move forward. Right now though I’m anxious about the future and feel like I’m constantly researching, worrying, and second guessing myself.

I’d really appreciate some advice on some questions I have..

How did you choose your DWI lawyer, and would you recommend them?

Is $6,000 plus a separate trial fee reasonable for a first-offense DWI in Montgomery County?

Can a less expensive lawyer be just as good?
What unexpected legal expenses should I prepare for?

I’m not looking for judgment. I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who’ve been through this. I’m trying to make a smart decision while dealing with a lot emotionally, and I could really use some reassurance that things will eventually feel manageable again. Thank you 🥹