Washington D.C. DUI Attorney
dc dui lawyer
If you've been arrested for drunk driving, you should retain an experienced Washington D.C. DUI attorney who knows the law and won't back down from prosecutors. At Meng & Alpert, our OWI lawyers have over 20 years of experience helping drunk driving clients beat DUI charges.
It is illegal in Washington D.C. to drive if you have a blood alcohol content of .08 or above, however police don't need a breathalyzer test to bring DUI charges. Some DUI charges can result in jail time after a first offense, and some charges can result in a felony conviction.
dc dui lawyer
DWI laws in the District of Columbia are arranged under three different categories.
- Under a DUI, or driving under the influence of alcohol, police do not need to perform a breathalyzer test to charge you. Instead, the officer can charge you based on standard field sobriety tests.
- Under a DWI, or driving while intoxicated, charges result if police take a breathalyzer test and the results show a blood alcohol content above a .08.
- Under an OWI, or operating while intoxicated charge, a breathalyzer test that results in a blood alcohol content level somewhat less than .08 is sufficient consider the driver intoxicated and result in a OWI charge.
A DUI and a DWI can result in up to 90 days in jail and fines up to as much as $10,000. An OWI carries a jail sentence of 30 days. Some offenses carry mandatory sentences, such as when your BAC is .20 or you've had multiple offenses.
In addition, a drunk driving charge can also result in the loss of your drivers license, although under DC DWI laws you are entitled to a hearing. If you have an experienced Washington D.C. DUI lawyer like those at Meng & Alpert on your side, you can win these hearings and stay on the road.
If this is your first offense and you have a blood alcohol content of under .16, you may be offered an alcohol diversion program that, if completed, will prevent a conviction on your permanent record. You will be prosecuted, however, if you refuse the breathalyzer test or this was your second or third offense or more.
At Meng & Alpert, lead OWI lawyer Andrew Alpert has over 20 years of experience helping people facing drunk driving arrests. As a former prosecutor, this Washington D.C. DUI attorney is one of the most well-respected drunk driving lawyers in the country.
Attorney Alpert is a member of the National College of DUI Defense and he takes annual classes at Harvard University. He is also certified by the National Highway Administration to take Standardized field sobriety tests and is a certified breath test operator.
dc dui lawyer
Few Washington D.C. DUI attorneys have this kind of experience. At Meng & Alpert, our OWI lawyers will go the extra mile to ensure that police and prosecutors respect your constitutional rights. With our knowledge, we know where to find mistakes in investigation protocol that other OWI lawyers miss.
