Virginia DUI Lawyer

Attorney Profiles

David Benowitz

David Benowitz is one of the most respected attorneys in the metropolitan area, and one of the founding partners of Price Benowitz LLP. He is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, has a perfect 10/10 rating on AVVO, and has been named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association. He is a member of the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop, and a professorial lecturer at George Washington University School of Law. Mr. Benowitz is only admitted to practice law in Maryland and Washington D.C.

Nicole Naum

Nicole Naum is licensed to practice in both Virginia and Washington D.C., and is a member of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. During her time as an attorney in Northern Virginia, Ms. Naum has established herself as an attorney with a client-oriented approach who will work tirelessly on each case she handles. If you retain Ms. Naum, you can be confident that she is doing everything in her power to secure a positive result in your case.

Karin Porter

Prior to joining Price Benowitz LLP, Karin Porter worked as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney prosecuting criminal cases. Ms. Porter decided to become a criminal defense attorney because she witnessed and appreciated the importance that competent and skilled defense lawyers bring to the criminal justice system. Ms. Porter applies her experience in the courtroom and her knowledge of how the Commonwealth decides to prosecute cases to assist her clients in achieving positive results in their cases.

What is Considered Driving Under the Influence?

Driving under the influence is one of the most commonly charged crimes in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The standards required to issue a DUI charge are similar to those in other states. According to § 18.2-266 in the Virginia Code, you can be charged with driving under the influence if you are found operating a motorized vehicle with a BAC (blood alcohol content) of 0.08 or higher. You can also be charged with a DUI with a lower BAC if you are found to be under the influence of narcotics or even prescription drugs.

Driving while impaired, or DWI, is a separate charge that carries a different set of standards. Your BAC does not have to be quite as high to incur a DWI charge, you just have to exhibit some signs of impairment to the officer that pulled you over. The grounds for a DWI charge can be subjective to the officer, so if you don’t understand why you are facing this charge, please schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys who will be able to help guide you through the process.

Penalties For DUI in Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia takes DUI arrests very seriously. As a result, the penalties that accompany a conviction of DUI, even a first time offense, can dramatically affect your life moving forward. Drunk driving laws in Virginia are complicated because there are so many different distinctions between charges. They increase both with the amount of prior drunk driving convictions on your record, and with the offender’s BAC is at the time of arrest. Subsequent violations, as well as more egregious violations of the BAC standards, will make fighting your DUI charge even more difficult.

A first time conviction carries with it a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. If your BAC is .15 or above at the time of your arrest, the Commonwealth adds a mandatory minimum jail sentence of five days upon conviction. Your privilege to drive will also be revoked for 12 months. There is also mandatory requirement of attached to the granting of restricted driver’s license for the installation of a ignition interlock device.

A second conviction within ten years brings a 10 day minimum jail sentence. If convicted, your license will be suspended for 3 years. If your BAC is at .15 or above, the mandatory minimum sentence is boosted to 20 days.

If you are charged with a third DUI offense within 10 years, it is prosecuted as a felony and carries mandatory minimum jail sentence of 90 days. A third DUI offense within 5 years carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 6 months. The maximum sentence for this charge is 5 years. You will lose your license indefinitely and will be facing a fine starting at $1,000. You could even face forfeiture of your vehicle.

A DUI conviction will also carry some non-judicial penalties, meaning that it could complicate your life for years after the incident. Your insurance rates could escalate, and having a DUI conviction on your record could make it harder to secure employment or find a place to live. When you are facing a criminal charge with penalties this steep, it is important that you find representation that will fight to protect your rights and to secure a positive result in your case.

How a Virginia DUI Lawyer Can Help

If you have been arrested for driving under the influence in the Commonwealth of Virginia, you may be overwhelmed by the charges facing you. It is important to find a lawyer who understands your fear and has the experience necessary to help you fight your charge.

If you are arrested for drunk driving, be helpful and cooperative, but maintain your right to remain silent, until you have spoken to a qualified attorney who can begin crafting your defense.

The attorneys with our firm have defended hundreds of clients against the charges they face. A lawyer can provide the support, resources, and knowledge necessary for your defense. Our Virginia DUI lawyers help you fight your DUI charges by:

Carefully evaluating your case
Gathering evidence to support your defense
Working with experts to testify on your behalf
Negotiating with prosecutors to receive a lesser charge
Analyzing the circumstances of your arrest to identify potential improper procedure

Evaluating your case and gathering evidence is an important but often overlooked part of an attorney’s job. It is during this phase that they might be able to uncover some important facts that are unique to your case. These include but are not limited to:

• The alcohol consumed up to the time of arrest
• What reason the officer had for initially performing the traffic stop
• Any statements that were recorded during the arrest by the officer
• The results of any field sobriety tests that have been performed by the officer during the arrest
• The results of any portable breath tests taken at the time of the initial stop
• The results of the official breath test results taken at the station
• The manner in which the breath test was administered, and whether or not the office complied with the proper procedure

An attorney will look critically at each one of these events to make sure that you were treated within your rights, and that no mistakes were made by the arresting officer that could damage the Commonwealth’s case. When you visit with our attorneys for a free consultation, make sure to bring all evidence of the case with you. It is important that they understand every aspect of the case so they can better build a defense strategy tailored to your case.

Virginia Reckless Driving Lawyer

Our team has attorneys who can aggressively fight your reckless driving charges. If you have been stopped by an officer and given a reckless driving citation, it is important to remember that this is not handled like a typical traffic ticket by the Commonwealth. Reckless Driving is a criminal misdemeanor, and the associated penalties are much worse than a simple fine. Our firm has reckless driving attorneys with experience protecting their clients from this type of charge; please contact us to find out how they can help you.

Locations

Fairfax County

Overall, Fairfax crime rates were at an all time low in 2011, according to the Washington Post. However DUI’s are still common in Fairfax, and it is important that you retain excellent representation to make sure you give yourself the best chance at a positive result. If your case eventually reaches trial, it will likely be heard at the County Courthouse at 4110 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax. A trial can be an uncomfortable place, especially if you don’t have any experience in a courtroom. Our attorneys will stand by your side to make sure that you are as confident and comfortable as possible when there is so much on the line.

Prince William County

Prince William County is enormous, and it reaches all the way from the Potomac River and past Haymarket. It also engulfs Manassas, an independent city right in the middle of it. If an attorney with our firm is unable to reduce your charge or negotiate a favorable plea deal, your Prince William DUI case will likely be heard at 9311 Lee Avenue in Manassas. DUIs actually fell in Prince William County in 2010. There were 2,116 cases in 2009, and just 2,046 a year later.

Northern Virginia

There are two large, independent cities that act almost as a gateway from Virginia to Washington D.C. Arlington and Alexandria both have major roadways running through them that act as a circulatory system for the District. That means that if you take a quick trip to the City for Dinner, or if you were getting happy hour before leaving work, you will have to travel through one of these two cities to get back home. As a result, the local law enforcement and the Commonwealth handle DUI cases very aggressively.

Cases in Arlington will be heard at the District Court located at 1425 North Courthouse Road. Alexandria DUI cases will be heard on King Street. We do not advise going through a criminal proceeding like a DUI case without an attorney on your side to make sure your rights are protected.