DUI / Drunk Driving

In Illinois, drunk driving is taken very seriously. Depending on the blood-alcohol level and whether it was a repeat offense, a DUI / DWI charge can bring jail time and serious fines. No matter what the level of offense, your license will be revoked. A conviction will give you a criminal record.

For any level of DUI, a lawyer is a necessity:

• An experienced drunk driving defense attorney can attempt to obtain for you a lesser punishment, such as rehabilitation.
• An attorney can protect you from the authorities, who may try to drag a confession from you and turn your words against you.
• An attorney may be able to get your license back.
• If the police did not follow procedure in any aspect of the arrest for DUI, a lawyer may be able to have the charges dismissed.

At Bellas & Wachowski Attorneys at Law, we have worked in many areas of criminal defense for more than 30 years. Firm partner George Bellas is a former prosecutor, and is well-known and well-respected throughout the Chicago criminal justice system. Peter C. Wachowski has successfully handled hundreds of cases of drunk driving defense. In short, our DUI lawyers can provide strong, skilled defense to anyone in the Chicago area.

License Revocation: After any DUI charge in Illinois, there is a mandatory license suspension for a period from 3 months to two years. If you hire a DUI lawyer in time, he or she can appear before the DMV and request a hearing to get you your license back. If that fails, first offenders may obtain a Judicial Driving Permit license that they can use while their regular license is suspended.

First Offense: A first offense is almost always considered a misdemeanor. A DUI lawyer can see that you receive you court supervision instead of a conviction — once you complete the period of court supervision, your charges will be dismissed.

Later Offenses: Second drunk driving offenses are often treated as misdemeanors, but third offenses are typically felonies. If convicted of a felony, you could face up to 364 days in jail and fines up to $2,500. And there is a mandatory 1-year license revocation after a felony drunk driving conviction. Obviously, the DUI lawyer you choose should work hard to attempt to prevent you from being convicted of a felony.

DUI Under 21 Years Old: Minors charged with a DUI will suffer a two-year license revocation for their first offense. But your drunk driving defense attorney can obtain a restricted permit that will allow you to drive from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Of course, we cannot hope to give you all the information you need about drunk driving defense on this page. Please contact Bellas & Wachowski Attorneys at Law to speak with an experienced DUI lawyer about any questions you have as soon as you have been stopped for a DUI. We will respond quickly and do everything we can to help.