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When you hire a Minnesota DWI and DUI lawyer, the temptation may be to hire the cheapest lawyer you can find – some Minnesota lawyers charge as little as $500 for cases in Minneapolis and St. Paul.  If you are on a budget and do not have a lot of money you may feel like you have no choice. But the truth is that you almost always get what you pay for and what you don’t pay now in terms of lawyer fees may come back to haunt you in terms of fines and jail time.

You want a lawyer that is available 24 hours a day to answer questions and help you deal with any issues as they arrive. You will also want a lawyer that is sharp enough to investigate your case thoroughly to ensure that your rights were protected and that all bases are covered, even if this means hiring a private investigator to get all the facts. Finally you want Minnesota DWI lawyer that will communicate well with you, keeping you apprised of all the information you need to know.

Keyser Law Firm offers an aggressive defense for your DWI charge and the best possible results for your case.  Here is some more information on DWI and DUI in Minnesota:

DWI is an abbreviation for “Driving While Intoxicated.” DWI is sometimes referred to as “DUI” or “Driving Under the Influence.” DWI involves the act of operating and/or driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. DWI laws also apply to recreational vehicles, such as an ATV, boat or snowmobile, and piloting an airplane.

When arrested for DUI or DWI in Minnesota, the police are trying to determine your “BAC” or “blood alcohol concentration.”  Operating a motor vehicle in Minnesota with a BAC of .08 or more is illegal and can qualify you for a DWI charge. A person’s BAC is determined by many factors such as height, weight, number of drinks, size of drinks, etc.

How Serious is a DWI Charge?

If convicted of a DWI charge, a defendant can face between 90 days in jail to 7 years in prison, depending on the severity level of the alleged offense. In Minnesota, there are four different DWI charges (click the link to view the applicable statute):

First-Degree DWI (maximum of 7 years imprisonment and/or a $14,000 fine)
Second-Degree DWI (maximum of 1 year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine)
Third-Degree DWI (maximum of 1 year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine)
Fourth-Degree DWI (maximum of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine)
 

What are Aggravating Factors?

The severity of a DWI in Minnesota depends upon whether one or more aggravating factors are present at the time of the offense. These include:

• A qualified prior impaired driving incident within the ten years immediately preceding the current offense
• Having an alcohol concentration of 0.16 or more as measured at the time, or within two hours of the time of the offense
• Having a child under the age of 16 in the motor vehicle at the time of the offense if the child is more than 36 months younger than the offender

We Aggressively Challenge the Police

A police officer must have a reasonable, articulable suspicion for stopping your vehicle. Oftentimes, officers will stop vehicles merely on a “hunch” that the driver is impaired. This isn’t good enough. More importantly, police officers cite valid reasons for stopping your vehicle, but are simply lying. Did the police say you did something you didn’t do, like swerving your vehicle on the road? Did the police say you didn’t do something you should have done, like using a turn signal?

Our DUI & DWI defense attorney understands that while you may have been drinking, the police must nevertheless follow proper procedure in stopping your vehicle. We will actively investigate your case by interviewing witnesses, hiring experts if necessary, visiting the place of arrest for scene investigation and challenging the Intoxilyzer (breath test) machine if necessary. Don’t simply give up because you know you consumed alcohol before driving.