FAQ's

So, assuming you weren't expecting the punchline from some cheesy lawyer joke, I think this is actually a pretty great question. A DWI Attorney is not just a general practice attorney, nor is it necessarily just a criminal defense attorney. DWI's are complex cases that involve a criminal element (the ticket you were charged with) and a license element (that piece of paper they gave you saying your license would be suspended or revoked). A DWI attorney is an attorney who has a ton of DWI cases under their belt and knows all the ins and outs of DWI law in your state, who has learned how to administer and evaluate all the NHTSA approved Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), who can recognize factors that might make a particular DWI case more serious than others, and knows which breath test machines are used in your state and what its weaknesses are. If you are hiring a DWI attorney in St Louis, look for someone who has handled a ton of DWI cases and always keeps up on DWI education. At SkilledDWILawyer.com, we are Missouri DWI Attorneys and we know how to get your through your case.

The prices can vary drastically depending on the firm. Some places won't accept less than $5,000.00 up front for a first time DWI, but I think it's pretty reasonable to expect to see prices starting at around $2,000.00-$3,000.00 for a first time DWI in St. Louis, MO area as long as you don't have any complicating factors. Our starting rate is $1,995.00 and we promise to keep our pricing fair and competitive. You can read more about that here.

For a first time DWI in Missouri where the driver was not a minor or CDL holder and there was no accident involved, the case is charged as a B misdemeanor. The range of punishment for a B misdemeanor in MO is up to 6 months in jail and up to $1,000 fine. We have more info about realistic possible outcomes here. In addition you could face either a 30 day suspension or 1 year revocation of your license depending on whether or not you submitted to the breath or blood test. Here is a lot more information about the potential outcomes in Missouri DWI criminal cases,and here is all you need to know about the potential license loss. A good DWI attorney can help you work out the best possible outcome for both your criminal case and your license case.

Call this number. Well, okay, we may be a little biased. But I think the most important thing is to make sure they know and regularly work in DWI law in the area where you got arrested. Don't make the mistake of hiring a family law attorney from 8 counties away. You won't be happy with the results. Ask a lot of questions. See if you like their demeanor. Does the place you call let you talk to an actual attorney, or just their paralegal? Don't make the mistake of hiring the most well-known firm just because you see their name everywhere you look. Does the attorney seem knowledgeable? Does he or she have time to talk to you? How much time do they spend with each case? Take all these things into account and go with the attorney you feel the most comfortable with.

Pretty much anything traffic-related in the state of Missouri. Check out our traffic law site too at www.skilledtrafficlawyer.com.

Although jail is a possibility, it is unlikely you will go to jail on a first, or even 2nd time DWI in Missouri unless an accident was involved. You can learn more about what probation (a very possible outcome) looks like in Missouri here. If you were involved in an accident or have 2 or more prior DWI convictions, jail time becomes more of a possibility, although it can still be avoided in many cases with a good DWI attorney.

Although a good DWI attorney knows all the possible ways to help avoid a license suspension or revocation, it's still a strong possibility that you may have to endure some period of suspension or revocation. The length of the suspension or revocation depends on whether you blew or not, and whether you have any priors. Often times, even if you have to serve a suspension or revocation, there are options to have a limited driving privilege or restricted driving privilege for some or all of the suspension/revocation period. You can read more about the license case here.

If this is a first time DWI, it is unlikely to have a lasting impact on your career except for a few job types. The careers that are most likely to be impacted by a DWI conviction are cases where you have to drive for a living or are required to have a special operator license like a CDL. I have helped pilots and boat operators, nurses, and pharmacists and more whose careers were not impacted. A good DWI lawyer can help make sure your career is impacted as little as possible, and if you have a career that requires you to drive, it's important to get in touch with a good DWI lawyer as soon as possible. You can contact me now here.

My fee does vary a bit depending on the court and whether or not you hire me in time to handle your license case. My lowest fee for a first-time DWI without a license case is $1995, highest for a first-time DWI with a license case is going to be $4950+ filing fees if there was no accident involved, but we can discuss what type of representation you're looking for (some people want to go all out, others want to hurry it along and get it behind them--either way, you're going to have eagle eyes going through your police report and other discovery docs to make sure we hit it from every angle). On top of my fee and any filing fees (those only happen in refusal cases), you will likely eventually have additional fees like fines and court costs, possibly SATOP fees, fees for other classes like VIP, and maybe a few other things. There's some good info at the bottom of this page about some of the costs for things that might come up. DWI's aren't cheap, even if you have a great attorney fee.