Las Vegas Nevada DUI Lawyers
Were you or a loved one arrested for DUI, DWI or drunk driving in Las Vegas? Are you seeking to keep the Nevada DUI off your record and to save your drivers license?
Call us to schedule a free case analysis with one of our experienced Las Vegas DUI defense lawyers. We can speak to you by phone, or we can sit down with you at our offices on Sahara and Rancho Road. Because of the recession, we offer special rates to financially struggling clients, as well as flexible payment options.
Las Vegas DUI Defense Attorney
Neil Shouse
An honors graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School, Las Vegas DUI lawyer Neil Shouse spent years as a deputy district attorney before retiring to do private DUI defense. As a district attorney, Mr. Shouse prosecuted literally thousands of drunk driving cases, everything from simple misdemeanor DUI...to felony DUI with injury...to vehicular manslaughter. He enjoyed a near-perfect success rate at trial.
Since becoming a Las Vegas drunk driving defense lawyer, Mr. Shouse has received advanced training in virtually every aspect of DUI investigations. He is qualified by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to administer, evaluate and score roadside sobriety tests. He is an active member of the National College for DUI Defense.
Nevada DUI attorney Shouse is certified to calibrate and administer the handheld breathilizer that Las Vegas police give at the roadside. He completed the Borkenstein Course, an advanced class at Indiana University that trains forensic toxicologists in alcohol impairment and highway safety.
Combining his law enforcement background and his special training in the DUI investigation processes, Nevada DUI defense attorney Shouse helps clients to evaluate and fight their drunk driving charges.
Mr. Shouse has been featured as a expert legal commentator on CNN, Fox News Channel, Court TV, Good Morning America, TV Guide Channel, and has been quoted on DUI topics in newspapers across the country.
How The Las Vegas DUI Process Works
A Las Vegas Nevada DUI arrest results in two separate proceedings. The first is a criminal case for driving under the influence. Following a Nevada drunk driving arrest, the police officer generally provides you a citation to appear in court at a later date to enter a plea and answer to the charges. If you have a Las Vegas DUI lawyer, and the DUI charge is only a misdemeanor, your attorney can appear on your behalf (meaning you don't have to go to court).
Your Las Vegas DUI attorney will obtain the police reports, lab reports, maintenance history of the breath machine, and other evidence. Your DUI lawyer will run motions and negotiate with the Clark County District Attorney in an effort to get the Las Vegas drunk driving charges reduced or dismissed. If an agreement with the prosecutor can't be reached, you are entitled to a bench trial before a judge where it may be possible to get a NOT GUILTY verdict.
The second proceeding is a Nevada DMV hearing to determine whether your drivers license will be suspended. If you have a Las Vegas DUI lawyer, he/she can represent you at the DMV hearing as well. It may be possible to win the hearing and avoid the license suspension. If not, your Nevada drivers license will go into suspension for at least 90 days. If you live out of state, the Nevada DMV will inform the DMV of your home state...and your home state will most likely impose a drivers license suspension action of their own.
Fighting a Nevada DUI Case
Nevada DUI prosecutors generally rely on four types of evidence in trying to prove a drunk driving case in court: (1) the suspect was not driving in a normal, sober manner, (2) the suspect smelled, talked, walked and behaved like a drunk person, (3) the suspect couldn't perform the roadside sobriety exercises correctly, and (4) the suspect's DUI breath test or blood test showed a blood alcohol level above a .08.
None of these "pieces of evidence" are as solid as you might think...and a good Nevada DUI lawyer knows how to attack each of them. For example, did you know:
- University studies show that trained police officers are no better than average social drinkers at discerning whether a suspect is drunk...and they get it wrong most of the time!
- The federal government has set forth a strict set of procedures for how cops are to administer the roadside sobriety tests...and police almost never follow these procedures properly!
- DUI breath machines are prone to error and can be "tricked" into erroneously high reading by such things as heartburn, acid reflex, braces, cavities, dental pockets, burping, diabetes, high-protein diets, and residual alcohol inside the suspect's mouth!
For a complete discussion of these issues, read our article How to Fight a Las Vegas Nevada DUI Case.
And for information on how to reduce a DUI to reckless driving in Nevada, see our article on how to reduce a DUI to reckless driving in Nevada.
To learn about California DUI laws, go to our information page on California DUI laws.
Contact Us for Help
Dozens of people plead guilty every day to Las Vegas drunk driving charges, often in spite of highly questionable state's evidence. It is almost always advisable to have a competent Las Vegas Nevada DUI Attorney evaluate your case before taking this route. Penalties may be lowered. Charges may be reduced. The case may be won at trial.
Our Las Vegas DUI attorneys have experience fighting all types of Nevada DUI cases, including first offense DUI and second offense DUI, felony DUI and driving with a suspended license charges. We practice in all the local Clark County courts, including the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas.
Nevada DUI cases are rarely cut and dry and conviction may not be inevitable. Top Nevada DUI lawyers know how to size up the prosecution's case, take advantage of Las Vegas police mistakes, locate evidence favorable to you, and navigate you through the Clark County Court System so as to give you the best chance of avoiding the consequences of a Las Vegas DUI conviction.
If you are facing DUI or drunk driving charges in Las Vegas, we encourage you to join us for a free case evaluation before making any decision as to how to proceed.
For more information see our articles on felony DUI with injury, vehicular manslaughter, roadside sobriety tests, bench trial, Nevada DMV hearing, avoid the license suspension, first offense DUI, second offense DUI, felony DUI, driving with a suspended license, Clark County court system, and Regional Justice Center.
