Sami Azhari, Attorney at Law
NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect the law as of 2020. The penalties listed are the most recent penalties pursuant to 625 ILCS 5/11-501. The penalties for an arrest for driving under the influence in Illinois were increased in 2011 and those penalties exist today. A second offense of DUI is still a […]
Attention: This article was originally published February 25, 2013. The information has since been reviewed for accuracy and is up-to-date as of December 2019. All DUIs are charged under the same statute, 625 ILCS 5/11-501. Regardless of whether it is a misdemeanor or felony, a person’s guilt or innocence is determined by the same sections […]
Most people with multiple drunk driving offenses do not assume they will be (legally) behind the wheel for quite a while following their arrest. Illinois has strict mandatory driver’s license suspension laws that make it difficult for even first time offenders to start driving again. For those with more than two or three convictions, they […]
For years, DUI offenders have had to worry about their driver’s licenses and the possibility of incarceration. But recently, prosecutors have given defendants another cause for concern. The government can seize a DUI offender’s vehicle, and after a process called civil forfeiture, sell the vehicle at auction and keep the proceeds. The process takes place […]
A person who is arrested for driving under the influence is confronted with two problems. First, he faces criminal penalties imposed by a court of law. At the present time, a first offense of DUI is categorized as a Class A misdemeanor offense. The potential penalties include up to one year in jail and a […]
A preferred outcome in many driving under the influence cases is reckless driving. The reason is reckless driving does not impact a person’s driving privileges in the same way as a DUI. The Secretary of State is mandated by law to revoke the driver’s license of any person who is convicted of DUI. The statute […]
On occasion, a person will get two or more DUIs within a short period of time. Sometimes when this occurs, the person gets the second DUI before appearing in court on the first DUI. Or, he may get the second DUI sometime during the course of appearing in court on the first DUI offense. Where […]
An arrest for driving under the influence has two consequences on a person’s driving privileges under Illinois law. First, his driver’s license will be suspended 46 days after the date of arrest based on either 1) a breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, or 2) a refusal to take the breathalyzer test. The suspension […]
- by Sami Azhari, DUI Lawyer
