Q: Will my insurance rates go up?

A: Probably for New York drivers, and maybe for out-of-state drivers. A DUI conviction is reported on your New York driving record. If your insurance company finds out, your rates will almost certainly go up. In some cases your insurance company will drop you as a customer and you may have to enter the assigned risk pool, where rates are dramatically higher. It is possible that your insurance company will not find out, and then your rates shouldn?™t go up. If you are from out-of-state, a New York DUI conviction may not affect your license or insurance, except in Quebec and Ontario. In our experience, reporting of DUI matters to other states is inconsistent. They are supposed to be reported through the Drivers License Compact, but many of our clients have not been affected. On the other hand, some of them have been affected.

Q: Can we beat the charge?

A: Maybe. Most DUI charges are difficult to beat and it will cost a lot more to fight than to make a deal. The police usually do a good job and the hard truth is, most defendants are guilty. Still, the police sometimes slip up. They may not have had a good reason to stop your car. They may not have had enough evidence to require a BAC test. They may have done the tests wrong. You may have credible witnesses who can say you were not intoxicated. A good lawyer can review these issues with you and give you better answers.

It makes more sense to fight a DUI if you have a prior DUI conviction (including DWAI) in the last 5 years, as you will likely be ineligible for a conditional license.

Recent examples of DUI cases we are fighting include where our client was stopped by police for running a stop sign in a parking lot (generally not illegal), and another where our client was sleeping at home when the police came to get him (the BAC test is probably invalid).

Q: What do lawyers charge?