Minnesota DWI or DUI Attorney
In one recent year, the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety reported:
- Nearly 40,000 motorists were arrested for DWI or DUI
- 1 in 7 Minnesota drivers have been arrested for DWI or DUI
Have you been charged with DWI or DUI? Understand two very important facts: DWI or DUI is a very serious allegation that could place you in prison, and you need an experienced attorney whose representation has secured acquittals in numerous DWI or DUI cases.
Minnesota DWI laws have especially serious consequences
Minnesota has some of the most complicated and serious DWI laws in the country. Read about the four degrees of DWI and license revocations recognized by Minnesota law. MADD — Mothers Against Drunk Driving — and other special-interest groups have a firm foothold in the Minnesota legislature and our state’s laws reflect their pressure.
Consequences of improper representation can lead to:
- Incarceration
- Loss of driver's license
- Need to display embarrassing "whiskey plates" on your cars
- Vehicle forfeiture
- Exclusion from foreign travel
- Dramatic increase of auto insurance premiums
- Dramatic increase in health insurance premiums
- Inability to obtain life insurance
The general concept that pervades Minnesota’s DWI enforcement scheme is to divide the legal process into as many separate components as possible to give the state’s attorneys numerous opportunities to defeat a driver.
License revocation
In Minnesota, it is necessary to challenge a license revocation separately from the criminal charge. A sentencing judge in a DWI criminal case has no authority to shorten or lengthen a revocation or decide whether it should remain a part of a driver’s record.
In order to challenge a revocation and seek to have any reference to it removed from the record, a driver must commence a separate civil action against the Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety in the county where the arrest occurred. That action must be commenced within 30 days of the date the arresting officer or the commissioner serves the notice of revocation. Most drivers don’t discover this quirk in the law until it is too late.
Do not get caught in this trap. Because the revocation is administered under a different law, a DWI license revocation can remain on a driver’s record even if the driver is found not guilty of the underlying DWI. To make matters worse, for purposes of enhancing a future DWI charge to a more serious degree, Minnesota counts license revocations under the implied consent law the same as criminal convictions.
This means that a driver could be found not guilty by a jury on his first offense, and still be treated as though he was convicted in a subsequent charge. To win a DWI in Minnesota, the driver must fight twice and win twice.
Why you need dedicated counsel
In order to effectively fight a DWI charge in Minnesota, you must be represented by someone who is prepared to fight each of those separate battles. This means someone who will not only investigate the facts of your case, but also be prepared to challenge the law. Strandemo, Sheridan & Dulas, P.A. has been fighting and winning these battles for over 25 years. Over those years, provisions of Minnesota’s DWI law have been struck down as unconstitutional on eight occasions. Jeffrey Sheridan represented the driver in five of those cases.
Our approach to DWI charges and license revocations
Our philosophy is simple: If all you are looking for is someone to hold your hand while you plead guilty, hire someone else. If you are looking for someone to defend you, hire us.
Courtesy. Commitment. Results.
If you have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, do not delay. The outcome of your case may depend on timely response to the charges. Contact the law offices of Strandemo, Sheridan & Dulas, P.A. online or call 651-686-8800 now. From our offices in Eagan, we serve clients facing DUI or DWI charges in the Twin Cities area and throughout the entire state of Minnesota, including Dakota, Washington, Hennepin, Scott, Carver, Ramsey, Goodhue and Anoka counties.
