Tacoma DUI Attorney

Leaders in Tacoma DUI Defense Since 2000

How We
Can Help

If you have been arrested or stopped for a DUI in the City of Tacoma or anywhere in Pierce County, you could be facing an automatic license suspension and serious consequences if you are convicted.
Our team of experienced Attorneys is ready to help you avoid these severe consequences, just as we have for thousands of previous clients.
Respected nationwide for DUI Defense, our Firm Authors the DUI Practice Manual for Washington State, a book purchased by other defense attorneys every year.
We utilize a custom and innovative approach to every case. Come learn how we can help.

Your First Court Appearance

What to Expect

Arrangement at Court

In many cases, the arresting officer will file the DUI citation with the county prosecutor unless it is a case that occurred within the limits of the City of Tacoma.
The city or county prosecutor can take several weeks to file the charge with the court. Some cases have taken over a year to be filed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
When the charge is eventually filed, the court will send you a summons ordering you to appear for an arraignment.
At the arraignment, you will be advised of the charge against you and of your constitutional rights. You will also be made to state whether you plead “guilty” or “not guilty” to the charge. Next, the judge will consider whether or not you should be released on your own recognizance (PR’d) and what conditions should be placed on your release from jail.

Conditions Of Release

If you have no prior alcohol or driving-related offenses, the conditions will typically be:

That you remain law-abiding
Not drive without a valid license and insurance
Not consume alcohol or go to places where it is served

However, if you have certain prior convictions or failures to appear in court, the court may impose more onerous conditions, including taking you into custody and requiring bail to be posted for your release, requiring the installation of an ignition interlock device in any vehicles you drive, and other measures designed to keep you from drinking and driving.

Pretrial Hearings

Following this, you will be given a date to return for a pretrial hearing; typically within four to six weeks. If your Tacoma DUI lawyer has completed the investigation and negotiated a resolution, this could be the last time you have to appear in court. More likely, you will have at least two pretrial hearings before you resolve the case or determine you will take it to trial.

You Only Have 7 Days to request a hearing

If your license was valid when you were stopped or contacted by the officer, it is still valid now, but in a “temporary” status. After your arrest, the officer notifies DOL of the arrest and they begin the process of annotating your driving record and sending you a letter stating the date your license will be suspended or revoked.
Currently, that date is usually 30 days from the date of the arrest. To contest this action, you must request a hearing within 7 days of your arrest.
This rule is strictly enforced, so if you have been arrested for a DUI even though you have not been charged with a DUI (yet), you still must act in a timely manner to try to save your license.
You should be aware that the DOL hearing and the criminal matter are two entirely different cases; rarely will one have any impact on the other. In the alternative, you may obtain a temporary restricted driver’s license that allows you to drive while your license is suspended for a DUI arrest.

3 Reasons to Hire Us

Experience

Our Team of Attorneys and Paralegals have over 30 years of combined experience. We know the law and understand how to apply it to your case.

Focused on You

We create a custom defense for every client. Not all cases are the same and we know that. Your concerns and goals are our top priority.

Reputation

As a long time author and speaker Ms. Callahan is respected across the county for her trial skills and investigative knowledge. He reputation proceeds herself when appearing in court.

Do I need a Lawyer? What could happen without one?

Potential Outcomes

There are a variety of potential outcomes to a DUI case. Although we don’t recommend it, you could plead guilty and suffer the consequences of a conviction.
Instead, we can fight for you. We search for mistakes made by the officer, for problems with any testing devices used, for anything done in violation of proper and required procedures.

Obtaining a Non-DUI Resolution

We take evidence of the mistakes to the prosecutor to convince them their case is not as strong as they think it is, and we push for a reduction of the charge or dismissal if the problems are severe. If the prosecutor is unwilling, we keep fighting by filing motions that seek to exclude the evidence against you
Sometimes, filing such motions forces the prosecutor to take another look at your case, or can lead to the judge excluding evidence the prosecutor needs. These efforts have enabled us to obtain reductions of DUIs to less serious charges for the vast majority of our clients.

We Help People Like You Everyday

Without an experienced DUI attorney at your side, you are at the mercy of an experienced prosecutor and the judge, both of whom know the ins and outs of the DUI laws very well. Prosecutors know that public sentiment is strongly against drunk drivers and that jurors have the same sentiments.
Unless the prosecutor is shown why a conviction might be difficult to obtain, they have no reason to bargain with you. This is why you need a lawyer with the knowledge and experience to find the problems in the prosecutor’s case and to get the most out of them on your behalf. If you don’t have a lawyer, or if you don’t have the right type of lawyer, you could be convicted of a DUI and suffer all the consequences that follow the conviction.

Conviction Penalties

The consequences of a DUI conviction include:

Mandatory jail time and fines
Mandatory license suspension or revocation
Mandatory ignition interlock device for at least a year at your expense
Up to 5 years’ probation

In addition, you will be required to get an alcohol/drug assessment and follow the recommendations, including up to 2 years of treatment if so indicated. If no treatment is necessary, you will at minimum have to attend an 8-hour alcohol drug information school and a DUI Victims’ Impact panel.

The court will impose conditions of probation, which if violated, could result in further incarceration and additional suspensions of your license.

DUI Case Results

**Updated 08/03/2023**

DUI's Reduced

9 0 %

DUI's Dismissed

DUI's > Neg 1

DUI's > Reckless Driving

DOL Hearings Won

You Deserve The Best Defense Lawyers

plan of action

know your rights

Washington State has some of the toughest DUI laws in our nation. These laws carry increasingly severe penalties for those who drink and drive. Washington lowered the BAC limit from .10 to 0.08 in January of 1999. Drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) at .08 or above can now be convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. In addition, because public sentiment is so very negative toward drunk drivers, prosecutors will often pursue a DUI conviction even when the driver’s test result is well under .08! This is possible because they can obtain a conviction if they can show the person drove while “affected by” alcohol, and/or marijuana or any drug, including prescription or over-the-counter medications.

1st Offense

2nd Offense

3rd Offense

4th Offense

Deferred Prosecution

Court Process

Penalties

Avoid Serious Penalties

Evidence

Learn how we win DUI Cases every day.

License Suspension

Win your DOL Hearing or Drive Legally