Providing DUI Legal Defense in the Virginia Beach Area

A charge for driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) in Virginia carries serious, lifelong consequences. The DUI and DWI lawyers at Shannon & Associates, P.C. have extensive courtroom experience as former prosecutors and know what you can expect when facing a DUI or DWI charge. The charges are serious and require strong legal representation to prevent excessive fines, loss of driving privileges and incarceration. We work hard to ensure your DUI charges are prosecuted fairly and minimized however possible.
Call our offices at (757) 228-5529 or send us a message via our website to schedule an appointment with us.

Virginia DUI laws are among the toughest in the country. Furthermore, driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence are the same offense according to the Virginia law that makes it unlawful to drive a car, including:

• If your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .08 percent or higher
• While under the influence of alcohol
• While under the influence of drugs to the extent your ability to drive safely is impaired
• While under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs to the extent your ability to drive safely is impaired

Police officers are not required to test your blood or give you a Breathalyzer® test in order to charge you with DUI. As long as he or she determines that you are not operating the vehicle in a safe manner and suspects that alcohol has been consumed, you can be charged and convicted according to Virginia’s per se laws. Challenging a DUI case can be tough, but our capable attorneys at Shannon & Associates, P.C. know how to get the results you deserve.

Our DUI attorneys have 20 years of combined legal experience in the courtroom. We know that the most important aspects of your DUI arrest include the actions by the arresting officer in determining whether you were drinking to the extent it impaired your driving. Attorneys at Shannon & Associates, P.C. know the weak aspects of the prosecution’s case and how to effectively present them to the judge, including:

• Lack of reasonable suspicion: The arresting officer must clearly explain why you were pulled over and his or her reasonable suspicion that you were driving under the influence.
• Lack of probable cause: An officer can only arrest you for DUI if he or she has probable cause from observing your driving, your demeanor or the results of your field sobriety test to believe you were under the influence.
• Improperly conducting field sobriety tests: Individuals perform differently based on their weight, injuries and medical conditions, so results of field sobriety tests are not always conclusive evidence of your impairment.
• Breath and blood test evidence: Depending on the time that elapsed between your drinking, your arrest and the tests, this evidence can be deemed worthless in proving that you were driving under the influence.
• Witnesses: Anyone who was with you before or at the time of your arrest can provide helpful information in your DUI case.

Attorney Kristen M. Shannon defends tough criminal matters, so she is constantly honing in on her defense skills. Challenging a DUI charge can involve tough considerations, but our dedicated legal team is fully up to the task. Call our offices at (757) 228-5529 or send us a message via our website to schedule an appointment with us.