In Illinois, there are some circumstances when a first DUI is a felony offense. 625 ILCS 5/11-501 entitled Driving while under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, intoxicating compound or compounds or any combination, provides that any person “convicted of...
Proven Trial Attorney
Handling The Toughest Cases
DUI & Traffic Defense
Vehicle Impoundment (Chicago Municipal Code § 7-24-225)
Every few months the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun Times will run an article about a huge drug bust where police seize a vehicle containing between $100,000 and $1,000,000 of marijuana or illegal drugs.. Some Chicago residents may find it reasonable for the City of...
Thanksgiving: DUI & Speeding Crackdown
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the busy holiday driving period where officers will be cracking down on DUI and Speeding. High traffic volumes are expected on roadways throughout Illinois. As traffic volumes increase so does the chance you...
Driving on a Suspended or Revoked License (625 ILCS 5/6-303)
About every week I get a call from a client charged with Driving on a Suspended License (625 ILCS 5/6-303). In almost every case, my client is stopped for a regulatory or equipment violation. These are often infractions that officers have the discretion to ignore....
Fighting a DUI or Traffic Ticket
Fighting a DUI or Traffic Ticket is a challenge, but it is not impossible. Prosecutors offer reductions or dismiss most traffic tickets, except for DUIs. Most people do not want to suffer a DUI conviction. One way of fighting a DUI is to challenge the stop. Most...
New Illinois Laws: DUI
Back in March 2015, the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board wrote an editorial on pending legislation that would remove “hard time.” Generally, “hard time” is a period of time when a person charged with a DUI cannot drive, period. The amount of “hard time” depended on...
Illinois Traffic Ticket: Do I need to go to court?
If you are charged with a traffic offense and receive an Illinois Traffic Ticket there a lot of issues you should consider before talking to an Illinois traffic or criminal lawyer. Check out a list of Illinois Traffic Offenses (moving and non-moving violations): Cyber...
Labor Day Weekend: Teen Traffic Offenses
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 14-18 years olds in the US. In fact, in 2013, there were 2,614 teen (15-19 year old) passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes and an estimated 130,000 were injured. State Highway Patrol and local...
Labor Day Weekend: Sobriety Checkpoint Stops
Most people think officers always need a reason (reasonable suspicion of atraffic offense) to stop a moving vehicle. However, this Labor Day weekend some cities and towns in Illinois and beyond will use a sobriety checkpoint to briefly detain and interview suspicious...
Happy Hour and Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID)
Happy Hour is officially back in Illinois. Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law that allows the return of happy hour alcoholic drink specials. Happy hour drink specials have been banned under Illinois law since 1989. The original ban was instituted to prevent...