DUI
DUI: your license and your case
A DUI arrest starts two cases at once. One is about your license, and its deadline is short. The other is the charge in court.
Celestina handles first and repeat DUI charges, breath and blood test refusals, and DUI cases with an accident or an injury.
We look at everything from the stop to the test: why the officer pulled you over, how the roadside exercises were given, whether the machine was maintained, what the video shows. For drivers who aren't citizens, we review every offer for what it could mean for your status.
The first ten days
Two deadlines, one plan
Deadlines differ from state to state. These are the steps, in the order they usually come.
- 01
Step 1: Saving the license
We ask for the hearing that can keep your license, or a permit to drive to work, before the window closes.
- 02
Step 2: The arraignment
Often Celestina can appear for you, so you don't miss work for a hearing where nothing is decided.
- 03
Step 3: The video and the test
We get the dash and body camera footage and the records of the breath machine, and look for what doesn't add up.
- 04
Step 4: How it ends
A dismissal, a reduction to reckless driving, or a trial. You decide, knowing what each one means for your license and your record.
Sample matters
DUI matters
Dismissed
First DUI, breath test refusal
The video didn't support the reason for the stop; the case was dropped before trial.
2024
Reduced
DUI with a minor accident
Reduced to reckless driving, with the client's license kept for work.
2023
Not guilty
Second DUI
A jury found the roadside exercises unreliable on a wet, sloped shoulder.
2021
Sample matters, for illustration. Every case turns on its own facts, and past results don't promise a similar outcome in yours.
Right after a DUI arrest
Can I still drive to work tomorrow?
Often for a short time, on the paper the officer gave you. What happens after that depends on the hearing we ask for, which is why we start there.
I refused to blow. Did that make it worse?
It changes the license side of the case and the evidence the prosecutor has. It isn't a conviction, and it can be challenged.
I'm on a visa. Should I worry about a first DUI?
A simple first DUI is often not the worst problem for a visa holder, but it can be, and the details decide it. We review it with you before any plea.
The license deadline starts now.
Call or write with the date of the arrest and the papers the officer gave you.