Defending Massachusetts OUI, DUI and DWI Cases
For experienced and creative defense of misdemeanor and felony Massachusetts drunk driving charges, contact Boston criminal defense attorney Steve Topazio for a free consultation about your case and your most promising legal alternatives.
Recent changes in Massachusetts law have made the penalties for drunk driving in the Commonwealth much harsher than they have been before, and complicate the defense of OUI or DUI charges, especially for repeat offenders.
While effective drunk driving defense is harder than it used to be, it's not impossible. An experienced criminal trial lawyer can identify sound strategies for resolving problems related to such drunk driving criminal problems as the following:
- Taking advantage of Section 24D diversion opportunities to keep first offense drunk driving cases out of the criminal justice system
- Protecting your right to drive under a hardship license after an arrest for illegal blood alcohol concentration or implied consent violation
- Looking back at prior drunk driving convictions to develop an effective defense against increased penalties for repeat offenses
- Felony charges of manslaughter by motor vehicle, motor vehicle homicide, or vehicular assault resulting from drunk driving accidents
- Felony repeat offender charges resulting from the risk of a fourth or subsequent drunk driving conviction
- Long term loss of driving privileges for repeat OUI or DUI convictions, including those from other states
- Ignition interlock requirements for second and subsequent drunk driving convictions
Most of the new penalties for drunk driving reflect a set of legislative amendments known collectively as Melanie's Law that went into effect in January 2006. While they certainly make the penalties for drunk driving more severe than they used to be, they don't significantly alter the fundamental defense strategies used by experienced attorneys.
At our law firm, we examine each case carefully to see whether any of the following approaches can reduce or eliminate your criminal exposure: challenge to the validity of the arrest, technical rebuttal of the blood alcohol evidence, examination of your prior DUI convictions to see which can be disregarded, and careful consideration of the most effective approaches to keeping your driver's license intact and minimizing your risk of jail or prison time.
We represent people facing OUI charges for the first time, people with prior drunk driving records, underage or juvenile drivers arrested with alcohol, and university students arrested for OUI throughout the Commonwealth. We also advise clients with prior drunk driving records about their eligibility for expungement of their criminal records. For additional information about our ability to protect your interests effectively in Massachusetts drunk driving cases, contact criminal defense attorney Steve Topazio in Boston.
