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Save Your Wisconsin Driver's License

Van Wagner & Wood, Drunk Driving Defense Attorneys

Have You Been Arrested for Drunk Driving?

How to save your driver's license after a drunk driving arrest -- Why you can't wait until your court date to take action

If you wait until your court date to take action, it may be too late. You could lose your license -- even before you go to court. You must either demand an "administrative suspension hearing" or a "refusal hearing," depending on whether or not you submitted to a police blood or breath test, or refused to do so. Either way, the time limit is ten (10) days. If you don't demand a hearing, you'll lose your license, regardless of what happens in court. This isn't part of the court case, so you can't wait until you go to court to take care of it. You need to act promptly.

To take immediate action, please call (608-284-1200) or email the attorneys ( ) at Van Wagner & Wood right away for a professional and confidential first-impression analysis of your situation.

What about my CDL (Commercial Driver's License)?

Because Wisconsin, like all states, permits only one driver's license to be issued to a person, a drunk driving conviction will always result in suspension or revocation of the person's commercial driver's license, or "CDL." A "CDL" is not a separate driver's license. It is actually an 'endorsement' conferring additional privileges to operate commercial vehicles requiring specific qualifications. It is an endorsement, however, based on issuance of a regular driver's license and, consequently, conviction of an offense requiring suspension or revocation of the driver's license always means that the "CDL" is revoked or suspended. This is true even if the person was not operating a commercial vehicle or 'as a CDL' at the time of the violation.

For those who are subject to federal regulation, a drunk driving conviction will be considered a "major" violation and, thereby, can result in legal disqualification under applicable federal rules.

Insurance carriers often have their own rules governing employment of drivers with drunk driving convictions. Though each insurance company makes its own rules, trucking companies who haul interstate frequently are unwilling to hire or retain drivers with a drunk driving conviction because their insurance carriers will not allow them to do so. Companies who only haul inside Wisconsin generally are not subject to such strict insurance requirements.

There are also specific drunk driving offenses that focus on those who operate a commercial motor vehicle after having consumed alcohol. Operating a commercial motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more is illegal in Wisconsin. A driver who tests at or above that level will receive an immediate 24 hour out of service order, in addition to the citation for violating the 0.04 prohibited alcohol concentration law.

Related Topics:
Wisconsin Drunk Driving Law | Attorney Tracey Wood
National College for DUI Defense | What to expect with Wisconsin Drunk Driving Arrests

Contact Van Wagner & Wood

If you are under investigation for a crime or drunk driving offense, if you have already been charged with a crime or drunk driving violation, or if you have already been convicted but believe your conviction or your sentence were wrong, call (608-284-1200 locally in Madison, Wisconsin, 1-866-262-4599 through Wisconsin) or e-mail () the attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood right away. They will give you a brief but professional “first-impression” analysis of your case and your situation, which will allow you to take an important first step in defending the case against you. You can also submit information about a criminal offense investigation or charge or a drunk driving OWI investigation or charge for a free case review.

Van Wagner & Wood, S.C.
10 East Doty Street, Suite 701 | PO Box 88 | Madison, Wisconsin 53701
608-284-1200 | 1-866-262-4599 | Fax 608-284-1260
http://www.vanwagnerwood.com |

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Drug Crimes

The criminal defense attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood handle cases involving drug offenses in which the accusation is made by either a state or a Federal prosecutor, arrests by state officials or Federal agents, and other drug cases such as those handled by the DEA. Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense lawyers represent people located across the state of Wisconsin in matters involving state drug charges including Adams (Adams, Wisconsin Dells), Ashland (Ashland), Barron (Barron), Bayfield (Washburn, Bayfield), Buffalo (Buffalo City, Mondovi), Burnett (Siren), Chippewa (Chippewa Falls), Clark (Abbotsford), Columbia (Columbus), Crawford (Prairie du Chien), Dane (Belleville, Black Earth, Blue Mounds, Brooklyn, Cambridge, Cottage Grove, Cross Plains, Dane, Deerfield, DeForest, Fitchburg, McFarland, Madison, Maple Bluff, Marshall, Mazomanie, Middleton, Monona, Mount Horeb, Oregon, Rockdale, Shorewood Hills, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, Verona, Waunakee, Windsor), Douglas (Superior), Dunn (Menomonie), Eau Claire (Abbotsford, Eau Claire), Grant (Mount Hope, Lancaster, Fennimore), Green (Monroe), Iowa (Mineral Point, Dodgeville), Jackson (Black River Falls), Jefferson (Jefferson), Juneau (Mauston), La Crosse (LaCrosse, Lafayette, Darlington), Marathon (Wausau), Monroe (Sparta), Pepin (Durand), Pierce (River Falls), Polk (St Croix Falls), Portage (Stevens Point), Price (Park Falls), Richland (Richland Center), Rock (Janesville), Rusk (Ladysmith), St Croix (Hudson), Sauk (Sauk City), Taylor (Medford), Trempealeau (Whitehall), Washburn (Spooner), and Wood (Wisconsin Dells) counties.

Drunk Driving (OWI, DUI, DWI)

Wisconsin's foremost authority on drunk driving laws, Attorney Tracey Wood, consults with lawyers and law firms throughout the United States to help them build successful strategies for very complex cases. In Wisconsin, Attorney Wood most frequently represents people located in Madison (Dane County), Richland Center (Richland County), La Crosse (La Crosse County), Jefferson (Jefferson County), Wisconsin Dells (Columbia County and Sauk County), Stevens Point (Portage County), Dodgeville and Mineral Point (Iowa County), Portage (Columbia County) and Montello (Marquette County).

Federal Crimes

Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense attorneys handle Federal cases throughout the state of Wisconsin and Federal appeals cases throughout the nation. The attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood have handled Federal cases for more than twenty years, cases and appeals ranging from Federal conspiracy, drug charges of possession, intent to deliver, sell, distribute controlled substance, securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, domestic terrorism, Internet crimes money laundering, to kidnapping.

Felony Murder, Homicide, Intentional Homicide, Negligent Homicide, Reckless Homicide

The criminal defense attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood represent people charged with Felony Murder, Homicide, Negligent Homicide, Reckless Homicide, Vehicular Homicide, Reckless Endangerment, First-degree Intentional Homicide, and Second-degree Intentional Homicide. Those attorneys most frequently represent people accused or charged in the state of Wisconsin. Often times, they are called upon by a client residing outside of the state of Wisconsin, which they represent in very serious crimes such as Felony Murder or Homicide. Van Wagner & Wood have handled cases for clients in Kansas, Oklahoma, California, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Illinois.

Sexual Assault, Rape & Sex Crimes

Wisconsin Sex Crimes Defense Attorney Christopher Van Wagner & Attorney Tracey Wood - Van Wagner & Wood - Madison, Wisconsin defend people who are under criminal investigation for a sex crime, who have been arrested and charged with a sexual assault offense or other sex crimes such as child pornography (kiddie porn), lewd & lascivious behavior, first, second, third and fourth degree sexual assault, enticement, solicitation, and rape, and who have already been convicted of a sexually related crime by a Wisconsin Circuit Court.

Van Wagner & Wood's criminal law defense lawyers frequently appear in Wisconsin Circuit Courts in Madison, Wisconsin for Dane County; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin for Chippewa County Circuit Court; Menomonie, Wisconsin for Dunn County Circuit Court; Eau Claire, Wisconsin for Eau Claire Circuit Court; Lancaster, Wisconsin for Grant County Circuit Court; Monroe, Wisconsin for Green County Circuit Court; Mauston, Wisconsin for Juneau County Circuit Court; La Crosse, Wisconsin for LaCrosse County Circuit Court; Wausau, Wisconsin for Marathon County Circuit Court; Sparta, Wisconsin for Monroe County Circuit Court; Stevens Point, Wisconsin for Portage County Circuit Court; Janesville, Wisconsin at Rock County Circuit Court; Baraboo, Wisconsin at Sauk County Circuit Court; Wisconsin Dells at Columbia County Circuit Court; Wisconsin Rapids at Wood County Circuit Court; Waukesha, Wisconsin at Waukesha County Circuit Court; Elkhorn, Wisconsin at Walworth County Circuit Court. They also appear at Oneida Circuit Court in Rhinelander, Wisconsin; Langlade Circuit Court at Antigo, Wisconsin.

If your case is in another area of Wisconsin, please contact an attorney at Van Wagner & Wood to discuss it.

Appeals & Serious Crimes - Homicide - Murder - State - Federal

Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense attorneys represent people in state criminal appeals cases throughout Wisconsin and federal crimial appeals cases nationwide at both intermediary court (Court of Appeals or Appellate Court) and the Supreme Court level. Van Wagner & Wood is one of few firms in Wisconsin that can and will handle Federal appeals.

Van Wagner & Wood also represents people in post conviction motions and post conviction relief remedies.