Winning a DUI Trial in Illinois

To win a DUI trial in Illinois you have to understand the basics of trial law. Specifically, who has the burden of proof. At all times from your arrest for DUI through to the end of the trial, you are presumed innocent of the charge. This means the State has the burden (requirement) to prove…

What should I expect on my first Court date?

First Court Date: On the first court date in a DUI or criminal case several events happen.  First, your attorney will file an Appearance.  You may have an arraignment.  Further your attorney will enter a plea of not guilty and request discovery.  Lastly, the case will be continued for further proceedings.   What is an…

Discovery and How to Get It

What is Discovery? Discovery is the evidence in a DUI or criminal case.  It includes materials such as police reports, pictures of physical evidence, and sometimes video.   How do you get Discovery? The prosecutor (state’s attorney) gives Discovery to your defense attorney.  However, there is an Illinois Supreme Court rule that specifically states that attorneys…

Video of your Illinois DUI Arrest

If your arrested for DUI there may or may not be a video of the police officer stopping your vehicle and you performing the field sobriety tests. Each police department has its own video recording rules. Some police departments do not have in-car video and other’s do. By law, all Illinois State Police have in-car…

Bridgeview DUI: Not Guilty

I just won a DUI case at the Bridgview courthouse and my client did not have to testify. Here are the facts: my client was stopped at 1:15 a.m. in LaGrange, Illinois for speeding 40mph in a 25mph zone. My client admitted to drinking alcohol and, according to the police officer, failed all of the…

CDL Driver, Speeding 60mph in a 30mph Zone = Not Guilty

Yesterday I did a trial in Joliet on a Lockport speeding case. My client, a CDL truck driver was driving his commercial vehicle (a Vovlo truck with 53 foot trailer) on Route 7 into Lockport. He was coming down from the bridge into Lockport when a Lockport police officer used radar and clocked him going…