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 […]
If the defendant is found guilty of driving under the influence, the court will proceed to sentencing. It is during the sentencing stage of a case that a person risks having his driver’s license revoked, and being incarcerated in jail. As of 2019, the law in Illinois allows the judge to sentence the defendant to […]
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 […]
In the year 2017, driving under the influence remains one of the most highly politicized offenses in Illinois courts. There is no offense that will get a prosecutor fired quicker for giving a good deal than DUI. In these cases, Assistant State’s Attorneys are always wary of how it will look after they give the […]
The Illinois Secretary of State recently published its annual DUI Fact Book. The DUI Fact Book for 2012 is available for download here. Most of the information provided by the Secretary of State remains unchanged. The reason is rather few laws were passed during the last legislative session that will go into effect in the […]
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 […]
The state legislature has amended the DUI statutes in 2011 and established additional civil penalties for people accused of driving under the influence. The law in Illinois up to 2010 provided that if a person was involved in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in personal injury or death, the police were allowed to draw […]
- by Sami Azhari, DUI Lawyer
