DWI Lawyer in St. Louis
About DWI and License Suspension
When you were arrested for a DWI, two distinct legal actions were started against you. One is the criminal case for your DWI offense and the other is a civil action by the Department of Revenue to suspend your privilege to drive. From the date of your arrest, you have only 15 days in which to request a hearing with the Missouri Department of Revenue regarding the suspension of your license. It becomes vital, therefore, to use a proven St. Louis criminal defense lawyer such as Attorney Brent Labovitz to represent you at this hearing. After graduating law school, he began his exclusive concentration on defending those accused of crimes by working for a respected criminal defense law firm in Chicago. He then went on to become lead counsel in hundreds of cases for the Missouri Public Defender's Office. His experience can make the difference when it comes to arguing your case in front of the Department of Revenue.
The firm can assist you to obtain your hearing on time and can provide the legal representation you will need. The hearing officer is an employee of the Department of Revenue who will act as the sole authority in the matter. A police officer's arrest report will be used as evidence against you but commonly he or she is not required to attend the hearing. At times, the firm can subpoena the arresting officer to attend your hearing. This is done as examination of the circumstances and details of your arrest may present a different picture than the arrest report. If, for instance, your arrest was based on faulty field sobriety tests, this can lead to the evidence against you being flawed.
Appealing the Suspension of Your License
There is other information that the firm can provide at your hearing that may help. If it can be demonstrated that you are able to drive in a responsible manner and you have a substantial need to be able to operate your vehicle, this may convince the hearing officer to not suspend your license. Prior convictions will harm your ability to retain your driving privileges. If the administrative hearing officer rules that your license should be suspended, the firm may appeal this decision in a circuit court but it must be done within a limited period of time. Administrative hearings are known to be tough. Your best opportunity for success is through the use of an attorney who can aggressively pursue every possibility of retaining your ability to legally drive.
Learn how you may be able to prevent your license from being suspended after a DWI arrest; contact a St. Louis license suspension attorney from the firm today.