DWI Lawyer in St. Louis, MO

DWI Lawyer in St. Louis, MO. Being pulled over and charged with driving while intoxicated is arguably one of the biggest fears a St. Louis-area driver can have. Not only will you be prohibited from driving for a minimum of sixty days, you will have to pay a significant fine, your insurance rates will go up, and have points on your license for years to come. Even worse, your image among friends and neighbors will take a significant blow, and your ability to potentially travel out of the United States could be cut off, as nations including Canada prevent travelers with DWI convictions on their record from entering.

Have You Been Pulled Over For DWI in St. Louis?

Having an aggressive and effective St. Louis, MO DWI lawyer on your case can —and often does — make the difference between pleading guilty to DWI and facing all its consequences, and having charges reduced or even dismissed. At Combs Law Group, our experienced St. Louis DWI lawyers fight fiercely for all our St. Louis, MO-area DWI clients. Whether this is the first time you have ever been pulled over for any violation or if this is not the first time you are facing DWI charges, our firm will give your St. Louis DWI case the personal attention you expect and plan a legal strategy that is made to get you the best possible results.

Our track record of success for those accused of DWI is second to none, and we are committed to total client satisfaction in everything we do. After you have been arrested for DWI, make (314) 900-HELP your first call. Initial consultations are always free, and Combs Law Group will work with you no matter any financial difficulties you might have to help you beat your St. Louis DWI charges.

What Should I Do After I’m Pulled Over For DWI?

After you have been stopped by a police officer who suspects that you are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it’s understandable to be nervous. Being stopped by police for any traffic infraction is something that can trigger a “fight or flight” reaction, and this is only heightened when you are suspected of impaired driving. Having tried a substantial number of St. Louis-area DWI cases, our firm suggests that you take the following course of action if you are ever pulled over for DWI:

• Find a safe place to pull over. If you are on a road with a shoulder, pull over there, or find a nearby parking lot. Try to avoid parking on grass.
• Record the entire encounter with your phone. Having your own account of your St. Louis DWI stop can greatly help your case and highlight potential discrepancies between the police account and what actually occured. Police officers are mandated to follow a specific procedure in every DWI stop, and any incorrect or overlooked step can result in your case being dismissed. Make sure that your phone is locked and secured with a passcode, too: judges have ruled that police can search and detain unsecured cell phones.
• Stay calm and cooperative. Being hostile to a cop will lower the odds that they will search your car or subject you to increased scrutiny. Being polite goes a long way when stopped for DWI.
• Keep in mind: you have the right to remain silent. Give the officer your license and insurance/registration, but do not give them anything else. Officers are on the lookout for for any reason to find probable cause and take you into custody, so do not give them any.
• Do not take a hand-heldportable breathalyzer test. While Missouri does have an implied consent law that automatically suspends your driving privileges for 12 months if you elect not to take a breathalyzer or blood test, this only comes into effect after you have been arrested for DWI. Hand-held breathalyzers are often unreliable and are only used as a way for an officer to get probable cause to arrest you.
• If you are arrested, call a lawyer as soon as you can. Your chat with an attorney is completely confidential and privileged under Missouri law. Getting advice from a veteran St. Louis DWI lawyer about whether you should take a breathalyzer test at the precinct, any issues that arose in your stop, or further questions you might have can be the difference between spending time in jail and your case potentially being dismissed.

Fighting Both Sides Of Your St. Louis, MO DWI Case

DWI cases in Missouri have two components: a criminal side and a civil side. The criminal punishments for DWI in Missouri, as you likely know, are stiff. Even a first St. Louis DWI offense could lead to the following punishments under Missouri law, as it is defined as a class B misdemeanor:

• 8 points on your driving record
• Up to 6 months in jail
• Up to a $500 fine
• A 90-day drivers’ license suspension, the last 60 of which can be restored to a restricted driving privilege (RDP) permit
• Required participation in a drug/alcohol treatment program called SATOP
• Required purchase of a high-risk auto insurance plan, also known as an SR-22

What Happens If This Isn’t My First DWI?

If this is your second DWI arrest in St. Louis, MO, you will likely be looking at class A misdemeanor charges, which carry these punishments:

• No more than one year in jail (any jail sentence for a second DWI must include no less than 10 days of “shock time” in custody before possible suspension of sentence or probation)
• Maximum two years probation
• Fines of no more than $1,000
• The suspension of your driving privileges, which ranges from one to five years
• You must install and maintain, as well as pay for, an ignition interlock device (which prevents someone from starting a vehicle if their BAC is over a certain limit)
• Continuous, verifiable alcohol consumption monitoring (either by regular breath tests or a wearable device)
• Mandatory participation in a drug/alcohol treatment program
• Required purchase of a high-risk auto insurance plan, also known as an SR-22

The administrative half of a St. Louis, MO DWI case relates to your driving privileges, and how the Missouri Department of Revenue handles your license revocation or suspension. Most St. Louis-area drivers are not aware that you can appeal the automatic suspension or revocation of your license, but only if that appeal is filed within 15 days of your original arrest. When you work with the St. Louis, MO DWI lawyers at Combs Law Group, you can be confident that our firm will handle both parts of your DWI case as soon as possible and work fiercely to limit the effect a DWI arrest has on your life. We will collect evidence, go over the details of your case, identify potential holes in the police report or arrest, and craft a strategy that is made to win.

Some of our recent DWI/DUI Victories

Our track record for getting optimal results for our St. Louis, MO DWI clients is unequaled, as evidenced by these results:

Contact A St. Louis DWI Lawyer Who Gets Results | Combs Law Group

If you have recently been arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated in St. Louis, MO, you are definitely cognizant that time is of the essence when it comes to your case. The quicker you can get a skilled St. Louis DWI lawyer to look over documents, gather evidence, and establish your defense, the better the odds are that the effects resulting from your St. Louis DWI arrest will be greatly lowered, if not eliminated.

Combs Law Group has helped many St. Louis-area residents of all kinds battle DWI charges. Our firm combines first-rate legal knowledge and hard-nosed litigation with a promise to provide personal attention and communication that is unequaled among St. Louis DWI law firms. Our DWI lawyers promise that regardless of what time it is, regardless of the situation, and no matter the circumstances, they will be able to answer your call and talk about your case or any other legal topic. This is part of our commitment to 100% client satisfaction, which our previous clients can speak to as well.

If you get pulled over and arrested for DWI in the St. Louis, MO area, call (314) 900-HELP first to schedule a free initial case review and put the experienced St. Louis DWI lawyers at Combs Law Group to work for you.