A wise judge once said, "Most of the people who come into my courtroom charged with a crime are not bad people...they are good people who made a mistake." Perhaps the best example of a criminal charge that affects good people is drunk driving.

Actually the charge in Virginia is not driving drunk, it's driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI for short). It's a subtle but important distinction.

Other states call the offense DWI, short for driving while intoxicated.

Unfortunately, many attorneys throw in the towel on driving under the influence charges too quickly. They assume that if the person charged blows a .08 on the breathalyzer machine that the case is over and the person will be convicted. Such couldn't be farther from the truth.

From a procedural standpoint DUI cases are complicated. Not only are they complicated for attorneys defending people charged with DUI, they are complicated for the police. And that means there could be any number of procedural defects in your case that could lead to the exclusion of the breath test and ultimately a finding of "not guilty" on the charge.

Understand that DUI cases are not easy to win. But pleading "guilty" and not fighting the charge virtually assures you will be convicted. Ward Armstrong rarely urges a client to plead guilty and will fight to insure you have every legal defense available.

If you've been charged with driving under the influence, set an appointment to talk to Ward. Ward Armstrong...a lawyer fighting for you!

(Ward also represents young people charged with underage drinking and driving and underage possession of alcohol.)