A public defender is a court appointed attorney. To qualify for a public defender you have to fill out a financial affidavit and show that you have no real assets to pay for an attorney. Even if you do qualify for the services of the public defender many courts require you to pay the public…
An out of state conviction for DUI will cause your Illinois driver’s license to become revoked for a period of 1 year if it is your first DUI. If your DUI was in Illinois you generally receive a sentence of Court Supervision which is not a conviction, so your license is not revoked for 1…
When arrested for DUI in Illinois, the automatic license suspension (6 months if you submitted to breath or blood or urine test, or 12 months if you did not) automatically takes effect on the 46th day after the day of your arrest. This means you do not have a license to drive a vehicle and…
Client’s often agree to perform the field sobriety tests on the road, (Walk and Turn, Once Leg Stand Test and HGN), but then refuse to submit to a breath test at the police station. Although the state prosecutor does not have a breathalyzer result, they still have evidence that you were not able to properly…
Having an out of state license, for example, a Wisconsin or Indiana license and being charged with a DUI in Illinois presents special circumstances. First, the Statutory Summary Suspension which suspends a person’s license who is charged with DUI will only suspend the driver’s ability to drive in Illinois. So, you can drive in your…
One of the conditions of bond is that you cannot leave the State of Illinois without the Court’s permission. To get permission to leave the State of Illinois your attorney will ask the Court to allow you to travel out of state. Your attorney should present to the Judge the reason for your travel and…
A Victim Impact Panel, (commonly referred to as a “V.I.P.”), is a two hour presentation given by individuals who have either been impacted by a drunk driver or by individuals who either injured or killed a person when they were driving drunk. Client’s have told me that this was the class that was most beneficial…
The time period to get a hardship license depends on if you need a formal or informal hearing. If you have one prior DUI, or are revoked for most other reasons, you will need an informal hearing. It takes about 7 days to schedule and prepare for an informal hearing before the Illinois Secretary of…
A hardship license in Illinois is called a Restrictive Driving Permit, (RDP). A hardship license / RDP allows a person to drive to and from work. It is limited in the number of miles, times and days a person can drive. Each hardship license is specific to the individual’s specific work requirements. It will not…
If you lost your Illinois driver’s license because of two or more prior driving under the influence of alcohol charges you can get your license back through a process called a “formal hearing” before the Illinois Secretary of State. The purpose of the formal hearing is for the Illinois Secretary of State to determine if you…