What I’m fighting for
A DWI touches more than your criminal record.
This is what we’re actually protecting when we fight your case — beyond the courtroom itself.
First thing
Your driver’s license
If you work construction, delivery, landscaping, a trade — you know a license isn’t optional. The ALR hearing (15 days from arrest) is how we keep you driving while the case works out. Then, depending on the outcome, we fight for an occupational license so you never miss a day of work.
Second thing
Your job — especially if you have a CDL
A CDL holder with a DWI — even in a personal vehicle — faces a one-year disqualification on the first offense and lifetime on the second. Federal law. No judge can override it. If you drive for a living, this is the case.
Even without a CDL, background-check employers (healthcare, schools, any state licensing board) will see a DWI conviction for seven years minimum.
Third thing
Your immigration status
A plain first-offense DWI is usually not a deportable offense by itself — but aggravating factors change everything. Child in the car. BAC over 0.15. Accident. Refusing the test in some circumstances. Any of these can trigger ICE involvement or block a future citizenship application.
If you’re not citizen-born, I don’t let you plead to anything without looping in immigration counsel first. This is the mistake I see most often, and it’s the one that costs the most in the long run.