DUI/OWI/OWVI/DWLS
Southfield, Michigan Drunk Driving Attorney
An arrest for driving under in the influence can have a major impact on your life, even if it is first offense OWI and especially if it is a repeat offense.
The Dorn Law Firm aggressively challenges your OWI to prevent or reduce jail time and minimize the other ramifications. Our DUI defense lawyer understands the drunk driving defense strategies that get results: getting charges dismissed and winning cases at trial. She has negotiated lesser charges, channeled clients to diversion programs, and obtained reduced sentences. There is almost always something a lawyer can do to take away the sting out of a drunk driving arrest.
Contact our Southfield, Michigan law office immediately or call 248.438.8716 for a free consultation. Attorney Heather Dorn brings 13 years of criminal defense experience to your case. She handles OWI, DUI and related charges in Oakland County, Wayne County, Macomb County and throughout the metro Detroit area, including:
- OWI/OWVI*
- Felony DUI
- Habitual DUI offender (third or more DUI)
- Refusal of a chemical test
- Zero tolerance (drinking and driving under age 21)
- Minor in possession of alcohol (MIP)
- Driving while license suspended (DWLS)
- Endangerment, injury or death
Fighting the Charges • Fighting the Consequences
For a first offense of OWI, you may not go to jail, but your license may be suspended for at least 30 days, with restricted driving privileges for at least 5 months. We may be able to negotiate the charges down to mitigate license suspension and probation. You may qualify for a diversion program to keep the conviction off your record, or we may succeed in beating the charges altogether.
If you are under 21, you can lose your license for a year for driving with a BAC of .02 (any amount of alcohol). Commercial drivers (CDL license) are also held to a lower threshold of .04, whether you were on duty or not when you were arrested for drunk driving. Refusing a blood or breath test is an automatic one-year revocation, with no "hardship" driver's license available to you.
For a second or third OWI, you need a lawyer who can negotiate a deal to keep you out of jail or give you a fighting chance at trial.
Call Immediately to Protect Your Rights
Contact our Southfield, Michigan law office online or call us at 248.438.8716. Attorney Dorn will explain your rights and potential outcomes in a free initial consultation. We have evening and weekend meetings by appointment. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and PayPal.
* Alphabet Soup: It All Spells Trouble
OWI (operating while intoxicated) and OWVI (operating while visibly impaired) are different terms for essentially the same thing. The nature of the charge depends on the severity of the offense, prior convictions, and whether the arrest is based on a breathalyzer reading of .08 or other observations of impairment. The penalties are similar.
