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EXPERIENCED DEFENSE OF MISDEMEANOR AND FELONY DUI AND RECKLESS HOMICIDE CASES
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If you or a loved one have been charged with Reckless Homicide or Driving
Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs (commonly referred to as DUI or DWI), you will need to find attorneys with the background
that will enable you to successfully defend against the charges while minimizing the consequences upon your life and ability
to drive. There are many defense lawyers who will offer you discount prices for little or no real service. This is an area
of law where many lawyers without the experience needed to successfully defend you will sell their services at a low price;
but you end up paying from the mistakes that are made. The truth is that extensive practical experience and knowledge
makes a big difference in the outcome of these cases.
Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs (DUI) is
a criminal charge. First offense DUI cases without aggravating circumstances are classified as Class A Misdemeanors for which
the possible punishment includes up to one year in jail, a fine of $2,500.00, or both. In addition, the Illinois Secretary
of State must revoke the driver's license of any person convicted of DUI. Unlike a suspension of a driver's
license, a revocation means that your license does not get reinstated after a period of time.
In many first offense
Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol cases, the person charged may be eligible for a sentence of court supervision. This
is a sentence that defers and avoids a conviction if the person successfully completes all conditions of the sentence as directed
by the judge.
In most cases where a police officer charges you with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, he
or she will also issue a Notice of Statutory Suspension. This notice is then sent to the Illinois Secretary of State and results
in the suspension of your driver's license for anywhere from 6 months to 3 years, depending on several statutory factors.
A competent defense lawyer will do everything necessary to litigate this summary suspension and prevent the suspension from
going into effect. To do so, he or she must be completely familiar with the ever-changing DUI and Statutory Summary Suspension
laws. Steve McCollum and Dan Hodgkinson regularly review the decisions of the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois
Appellate Courts interpreting Illinois DUI and Summary Suspension statutes. Steve has been a speaker at seminars concerning
criminal law matters many times while Dan trained many of the Lake County prosecutors who handle these cases. Steve
McCollum and Dan Hodgkinson have successfully defended hundreds of DUI and Reckless Homicide cases since becoming defense
attorneys after successful careers in the Lake County State's Attorney's office. Steve was a prosecutor and in the State's Attorneys office for
sixteen (16) years, was the Chief of the Misdemeanor and Traffic Division, and was the Chief Deputy State's Attorney in charge
of all criminal prosecutions. As Chief of the Traffic Division he was responsible for all of the State's Attorney's Driving
Under the Influence of Alcohol and Reckless Homicide prosecutions. He personally prosecuted many of those Reckless Homicide
cases through the trial process. That experience allowed Steve to become completely knowledgable concerning the testing procedures
and devices used by police, as well as the use of accident reconstruction experts.
Dan Hodgkinson was an extremely successful prosecutor in the Lake County State's Attorney's
office where he prosecuted many of the most serious DUI offenses, trained other prosecutors concerning DUI and traffic cases,
and went on to handle many misdemeanor and felony cases. He has maintained close ties to many of the prosecutors still
in the State's Attorney's office and regularly defends many of the most serious DUI cases.
When deciding on who is best to defend you on your Driving
Under the Influence charge, you should also know your prospective lawyer's philosophy concerning the practice of law and defending
clients. Steve and Dan currently practices in the DUI courtrooms on a daily basis in the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan,
Illinois. This background has helped make them the most thorough DUI defense attorneys possible. This leads to a philosophy
where all avenues of defense are explored and all necessary actions are taken on your behalf to successfully defend you. The
experience of Steve and Dan has repeatedly resulted in DUI charges being dismissed, evidence being suppressed, cases won,
and driving privileges maintained for our clients.
As previously stated in most first and second offense DUI cases
there will also be a Stautory Summary Suspension which must be fought. This suspension can only be prevented by the filing
of a Petition to Rescind the Statutory Summary Suspension. Attorneys who offer piecemeal services don't routinely file these
Petitions unless their clients ask for it and pay additional fees. Unlike those lawyers, upon being retained for your case
the attorneys at McCollum Hodgkinson, P.C. will file a Petition to Rescind the Statutory Summary Suspension without charging
any additional fees whenever it is warranted. We will immediately request the documents, breathalizer logbooks, and videotapes
which can lead to winning the hearing on that petition and the underlying DUI charge.
If you are charged with Driving
Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs and are seeking an attorney with the competence, trial experience, and thoroughness
necessary to help you through the tough process that the DUI criminal courts have become, please call our office for an appointment.
We will do everything we can to help you.
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FELONY DUI and DRIVING WHILE LICENSE REVOKED CHARGES
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Illinois has greatly
expanded the number and types of cases that can result in a charge of Felony Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI)
or Felony Driving While License Revoked (DWLR). Steve McCollum and Dan Hodgkinson are well-versed on these statutes, the possible
defenses to these charges, and how to effectively negotiate with the State's prosecutors in the Lake County, Illinois courts.
The Illinois
DUI statutes are extremely complex and involve many mandatory minimum jail sentences. Unlike misdemeanor DUI cases, Felony
DUI cases carry the possibility of a State prison sentence. These charges also result in the revocation of your driver's license
if you are convicted. Therefore, it is extremely important in a Felony DUI case to hire an attorney that has extensive experience
in both DUI law and the defense of Felony cases in general. Steve McCollum and Dan Hodgkinson have that experience. Their felony
experience is extensive, including as Assistant State's Attorneys and as a defense attorneys. In Lake County, the State's Attorney's office prosecutes
all felony DUI and Driving While License Revoked cases, and there are dedicated felony DUI prosecutors who handle these cases.
To meet the challenge involved in these case, you must have an attorney who has both extensive DUI experience AND extensive
felony court experience. Our attorneys have that background and experience. This level of experience means that
the many pitfalls that could cause less experienced attorneys to lose your case will be avoided. If you stand to lose
your liberty because of a Felony DUI, then it is imperative that you hire attorneys that can do everything possible for
you. Please call our office for a free consultation at (847) 662-2474.
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McCollum Hodgkinson, P.C.
415 Washington
Street, Suite 103
Waukegan, Illinois 60085
Phone: (847) 662-2474
Fax: (847) 360-9100
Return to Homepage
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Steve McCollum and Daniel Hodgkinson are well respected Lake County, Illinois criminal defense
and juvenile defense lawyers, with over 30 years of experience as prosecutors and defense attorneys representing both
adult and juvenile clients concerning cases throughout Northeastern Illinois, including the cities of Antioch, Barrington,
Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Fox Lake, Grayslake, Gurnee, Highwood, Highland Park, Lake Villa, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lake
Zurich, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Lindenhurst, Long Grove, Mundelein, Round Lake Area, Spring Grove, Vernon Hills, Wauconda,
Waukegan, Zion, and all other areas of Lake County, Illinois in the areas of felony and misdemeanor criminal defense, DUI
defense, and Juvenile Law.
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