Areas of Practice

• Illinois Driver’s License Reinstatement (Administrative Law)
• DUI Defense and Reckless Homicide
• General Traffic Law

Overview

Under the Illinois Vehicle Code, there are several reasons to revoke a driver’s license. A person may have a revoked license for driving under the influence (DUI), criminal offenses, or certain traffic tickets. There are also specific administrative offenses that can lead to the revocation of an Illinois driver’s license.

When representing a revoked driver, a driver’s license attorney should have detailed knowledge of the following areas of law:

1. Driver’s License Reinstatement (Administrative Law)
2. DUI Defense
3. General Traffic Law

Our Chicago law firm focuses exclusively on DUI defense and driver’s license reinstatement. We provide award-winning legal representation to clients who need a driver’s license attorney after being convicted of DUI, reckless homicide, criminal offenses, or certain traffic violations. Our law firm has spent over two decades successfully representing revoked drivers who are seeking license reinstatement in Illinois.

Our practice is committed to providing exceptional client service, which includes being accessible for virtual or in-person meetings. We have physical offices in the downtown Chicago Loop, as well as Naperville, Illinois. We represent clients at driver’s license hearings that reside in many counties, including Cook, Dupage, Kendall, Kane, Lake, Will, Kankakee, Dekalb, and Winnebago County. Our office also helps non-residents who are seeking to remove an Illinois DUI hold on their out-of-state driver’s license.

Illinois Driver’s License Reinstatement

Attorney Jennifer Wirth has over twenty years of experience as an Illinois driver’s license reinstatement lawyer in Chicago. With an annual win rate of 95 percent at licensing hearings, Wirth has helped thousands of revoked drivers get their driver’s license back after a revocation.

The cornerstone of our practice has always been representing revoked drivers after a DUI conviction. However, our firm also handles many other serious driver’s license revocation cases, such as reckless homicide and motor vehicle accidents involving fatality.

Driver’s license reinstatement is a hybrid area of practice that combines administrative, criminal, traffic, and DUI law. A driver’s license attorney must understand the administrative code relating to driver’s license hearings, as well as the Illinois Vehicle Code for traffic offenses. Further, a defense lawyer must know the DUI provisions of the Illinois Criminal Code to successfully defend a client with a revocation for an Illinois DUI or reckless homicide.

Illinois DUI Defense

In Illinois, Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is a criminal charge that can carry various penalties, including fines, community service, and potential incarceration. Upon a guilty finding, the court will also require a DUI defendant undergo drug/alcohol treatment or a lesser intervention, such as DUI Risk Education.

The penalties for a DUI charge vary, depending on the specific facts of a case. A first DUI offense is often charged as a Class A misdemeanor unless aggravating factors exist to justify an upgrade to a felony DUI charge. If convicted of a DUI, a defendant will likely face the revocation of their Illinois driver’s license. If eligible, a disposition of supervision typically prevents the revocation of a driver’s license for DUI.

At the outset of a DUI case, a defendant should consult with an experienced Illinois DUI defense attorney. During the consultation, an Illinois DUI lawyer should review all facts surrounding the arrest, including any available information on the following:

• The class of the offense, including whether any aggravating factors exist for felony enhancement
• The stated reason for the stop, including whether any grounds exist to challenge the initial stop by the police
• The specific field sobriety tests performed by the client (if any), and a review of the client’s performance on each test
• The client’s breath alcohol content (BrAC) on any roadside breath test (PBT)
• Any admission(s) made by the client about consuming alcohol and/or drugs prior to the DUI arrest
• Any potential witnesses who viewed the client prior to the DUI arrest, or during the DUI encounter with the police
• Whether grounds exist to challenge probable cause for the DUI arrest
• Whether the police obtained evidence through an unlawful search during the DUI arrest
• The results of any chemical testing, including test results indicating a positive BAC reading or the presence of any drug
• In cases of chemical testing, whether the testing operator was property qualified and whether the machine was functioning properly
• If a client is facing summary suspension of their license, whether any grounds exist to contest the suspension
• Whether any viable defenses exist if the client elects to go to trial on the DUI charge
• If a client were to be found guilty, the potential sentence that a client may receive for their DUI offense

A DUI defense attorney may not have all the evidence to make a full assessment of the case at the time of consultation. It is vital that a defense attorney make detailed requests for evidence as soon as possible. As more information becomes available, a DUI defense lawyer should continue to reevaluate any potential defenses that may develop. A client should be aware of all evidence before deciding whether to accept a negotiated DUI plea or proceed to trial on their Illinois DUI charge.

Our office understands that dealing with a DUI charge can be stressful and that clients have many questions when facing a DUI charge. An experienced DUI attorney can help a client navigate the legal system, and work to mitigate the consequences of an Illinois DUI charge.

Our practice regularly works with DUI offenses, ranging from first-time DUI cases to multiple DUI offenders. A good DUI defense involves having a team of professionals who provide specific DUI services. If we do not handle a particular type of case, we are happy to provide a referral to a qualified DUI defense attorney in a particular area or location. Our goal is that every client receives the best possible outcome, whether facing an active DUI charge or a DUI license revocation.

General Traffic Law

It is critical that a driver’s license reinstatement attorney understand general traffic law. Many of our DUI clients have other traffic violations, such as driving on a suspended or revoked license, fraudulent identity issues, or a loss of driving privileges for having too many moving violations in a given period. Our law office has experience with many types of driver’s license revocations in Illinois.

Our practice addresses all reasons for a driver’s license revocation at a driver’s license reinstatement hearing. We do not charge extra fees for a hearing if a client is revoked or suspended for multiple reasons. Our goal is to get our clients back on the road and clear all holds on the driver’s license.

Our office is happy to provide free consultations. We encourage individuals to provide us with a current copy of their court purposes driving abstract for review at the time of consultation to understand all reasons for suspension or revocation of a license. To schedule a consultation, a revoked or suspended driver can contact our law office at (312) 761-8290 or email our practice at jennifer@wirthlaw.org.