When seeking out Lake County DUI Lawyers, you have two concerns: First, you want to know the attorneys are experts in DUI defense in Illinois, and Second, you want to know that the DUI lawyers you choose have more than a passing familiarity with handling DUI defense in the Lake County Illinois. Your lawyer needs practical experience defending people facing DUI in Lake County. That's Fagan, Fagan & Davis.
Lake County DUI Lawyers - Decades of Experience
The attorneys at Fagan, Fagan & Davis been defending people accused of DUI since 1980, and have decades of experience appearing in the Lake county courthouse in Waukegan, Illinois as well. Members of our firm are well known regulars on the 4th floor of the 19th Judicial Circuit court located at 18 N County St in Waukegan, where DUI court calls begin at 9am every weekday.
Felony and Misdemeanor Lake County DUI Trial Defense
Lake County Misdemeanor DUI cases are generally heard on the 4th floor of the Lake county court in room C-401, C-402, C-403, C-404 and C-405. These courtrooms also hear all Statutory Summary Suspension/Revocation hearings related to the charged DUI case. All of these courtrooms also hear other criminal offenses. Once assigned to a trial call, felony Lake county DUI matters are heard in room C-402, but may also be assigned to a second floor felony room.
In addition to Waukegan, Lake County Sheriff and Illinois State Police, the Lake County DUI court hears cases arising from Gurnee, Mundelein, Antioch, Deerfield, Deer Park, Fox Lake, Grayslake, Highland Park, Highwood, Island Lake, Kildeer, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Lakemoor, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Park City, Riverwoods, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Park, Vernon Hills, Wauconda, Winthrop Harbor, Zion and more.
Lake County DUI Laws
The basic laws of DUI in Lake county match the rest of the Illinois DUI law, though courtroom procedures are different - your lawyer must have the experience of handling DUI in Lake county Illinois.
DUI is shorthand for Driving Under the Influence. Illinois law defines several different ways to be charged for DUI. The law allows charging for operating or in “actual physical control” of a motor vehicle, while impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol, impaired by medical marijuana, intoxicating compounds or methamphetamine. Illinois also has per se violations of DUI based on a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or more, or does not have a medical marijuana license and registers a reading of 5 nanogram of cannabis (specifically, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) in whole blood or 10ng in “other bodily fluids”. There are important limitations in every case, which your Lake County DUI Lawyer needs to know.
The possible penalties for Illinois DUI range widely. The most common is a class A misdemeanor DUI punishable by a maximum of 364 days in jail plus $2500 in fines and possible revocation of driving privileges, and the most rare can be punishable as class X felony offenses punishable by $25,000 in fines, 6-30 years in prison (or up 60 years based on enhancing factors) and lifetime drivers license revocation. Making it all the more important that your DUI Lawyer knows the Lake county court in Waukegan, Illinois.
Statutory Summary Suspension in Lake county
Statutory Summary Suspension of your Driver's License is mandatory and happens automatically in most every Lake county DUI. These suspension begin on the 46th day after you are served with notice by the police - that's the document called "Notice of Statutory Summary Suspension/Revocation". These suspensions are for as little as 6 months and as long as 3 years. In many cases, a permit is available, but not in cases where you do not qualify as a "first offender" for purposes of Illinois suspension law - this is a legal distinction different than being a first offender for DUI purposes.
Lake County DUI lawyers will know that although your suspension does not begin immediately, your opportunity to challenge a suspension starts right away, and the timing may be critical - waiting too long can affect the success of your challenge, and may even result in waiving your right to do so.
Contact the Lake County DUI Lawyers at Fagan, Fagan & Davis now for a no-cost opportunity to discuss how we can defend you.
