DUI Defense Attorney in Tampa, Florida

Some DUI Penalties Take Effect Immediately

Fight Them with Help from A DUI Attorney in Tampa, FL

Anyone charged with a DUI (driving under the influence) in Florida faces consequences from the DMV and the court. Don't wait until your court date to ask a DUI attorney for guidance. Contact The Wade Law Firm in Tampa, FL right away to start building your DUI defense.

Attorney Wade can...

• Examine the evidence against you

• Challenge your driver's license suspension and DUI charges

• Help you explore options like Tampa, FL's Reduced Impaired Driving Recidivism program

Make an appointment today.

Defensive Strategies We Can Use

Working with a skilled DUI attorney is your best chance to avoid serious consequences. To build your DUI defense, attorney Wade can look for holes in the prosecutor's case or challenge your breath test results, to name a few.

Call now so we can discuss the evidence against you.

A New Law May Provide for Harsher Penalties for A Refusal

Some drivers refuse to take a breath, blood, or urine test when stopped for DUI. In some cases that can be helpful to the defense because the prosecutor does not have the additional scientific evidence showing that you had alcohol or drugs in your system. However, under Florida law, a driver who has previously refused a breath, blood, or urine test, is not only facing an 18 months license suspension but also a second criminal charge - with a possible maximum of 1 year in jail. Prosecutors have always used this second criminal charge as leverage when prosecuting a person for DUI, especially when the state had a weak case on the DUI. That is because it is a lot easier for the state to prove that a person refused a breath test for a second time than it is for the state to prove that a person drove under the influence without the added benefit of the breath test.

Now the Florida legislature is considering a law that would make even a first refusal a separate offense. Based on 2016 Senate Bill 1244, drivers could face up to 6 months probation and or a $1000 fine for a first refusal as early as December 2016 if approved. Making a first refusal a separate offense could provide the same leverage to the state. For more details read my article on harsher penalties for a first refusal.

Tampa DUI Defenses

Holes in The Prosecutor's Case and Improper Stop

A Tampa DUI Lawyer can challenge the DUI and possibly help you avoid the mandatory criminal conviction and other mandatory penalties that are associated with drunk driving. At the Wade Law Firm, we will first obtain all of the documents and other evidence that the state attorney's office has against you. We will then examine the prosecutor's evidence for holes: which include looking at and challenging the reliability of the police officer witness(es), checking if the police stopped you for a proper reason.

Breath Tests Challenges

We also closely look at all of the documentation for the breath test machine that the police used in your case. We then use that documentation to challenge the breath test results and keep the state from being able to use that as evidence against you.

Blood and Urine Tests Challenges

We will closely look to see whether or not the police were even entitled in the first place to take either one of those tests and then we will look to see whether or not the tests that were conducted were reliable and can be used as evidence against you.

Medical and Physical Conditions

We also collect all possible documentation, including but not limited to medical records showing that you have a physical injury or a medical condition (such as diabetes) that would prevent you from being able to perform according to the police officer's expectations on the physical roadside exercises.

See the case results section to see how Kerstin Wade has helped previous clients charged with DUI getting their charged dismissed or reduced.