DUI

Pennsylvania Drunk Driving & DUI Lawyers

You and your loved ones may be panicking. You may have been coming from a party, a hard day of work or family squabble and now you are being treated as a criminal. It is a surreal experience, but the consequences to your career, your reputation and your family are very real.  When facing a DUI in Pennsylvania, you need to speak with our Pennsylvania DUI team immediately. We are the Pennsylvania DUI and drunk driving defense lawyers you need. We defend and fight DUI cases throughout the Philadelphia area including Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County and Lancaster County.

We are Pennsylvania DUI Defense lawyers working for you when you or your loved one is facing police prosecution, criminal conviction, loss of license, fines, costs and more. Use our Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Team and our more than Twenty Years of combined experience working for you.

As a Chester County Pennsylvania criminal defense firm with offices in West Chester, Kennett Square and Exton, we are the Chester County DUI lawyers you need. As a Pennsylvania criminal defense firm with satellite offices in Sprinfield and Wayne, we are the Delaware County DUI Lawyers you need. As a Pennsylvania criminal defense lawfirm, we are Montgomery County DUI Lawyers with satellite offices in Plymouth Meeting and King of Prussia. As a Pennsylvania criminal defense firm with a satellite office of Lancaster, we are the Lancaster County Dui Lawyers you need.

The penalties for drunk driving in Pennsylvania are stiff and mandatory. A conviction for a first offense can result in the loss of your license, mandatory jail time and cancellation of your insurance. Once convicted, that DUI remains on your record and expungement is an unlikely option.  A Second offense can bring you upto a mandatory minimum of NINETY (90) days of incarceration and a Third Offense within Ten (10) years can bring a mandatory minimum sentence of TWELVE (12) months incarceration. 

It is critical to have experienced and aggressive DUI defense representation that will protect your rights, fight the case where possible and when trial is not an option, present you with the best alternatives to a criminal conviction. At our law firm, Ciccarelli Law Offices, our lawyers have been helping clients obtain the best possible outcome since 1989. Contact us if you have been arrested for a DUI.

DUI laws in Pennsylvania

The law in Pennsylvania is complex; penalties vary depending on the blood alcohol level (BAC), whether you have Schedule I or Schedule II drugs in your system and many other factors. For example, the blood alcohol levels are:

• 0.08 percent to 0.099 percent — general impairment
• 0.10 percent to 0.159 percent — high level
• 0.16 percent or higher — highest level

First offense, general impairment

A first conviction for having the lowest BAC level carries probation, a fine, attendance at an alcohol safety school and compliance with all other treatment requirements. A third conviction of the same level comes with a prison sentence, a fine that can be as much as $5,000, and drug and alcohol treatment.

Third offense, highest level of impairment

The penalties increase, depending on the blood alcohol level, the number of prior offenses and whether or not a blood test was done. For example, a third-time offender convicted of DUI at the highest level — 0.16 percent or higher — may receive a criminal conviction, an 18-month driver's license suspension, one to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, mandatory drug and alcohol treatment, and the installation of an interlock device on his or her car.

Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition

First-time offenders are often eligible for ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition). This allows them to avoid a criminal conviction by performing community service, undergoing treatment and accepting the supervision of the District Attorney's office. We help clients apply to this program; acceptance into this program gives them the opportunity to avoid having a conviction on their record.

Because of the complexity of a Pennsylvania DUI, it is important to have the advice and representation of a lawyer who understands the laws thoroughly and is willing to fight, contest, and negotiate, whenever possible, to minimize the consequences of a DUI arrest and charge. Contact Ciccarelli Law Offices at (888) 643-0006 if you have been arrested for being alcohol-impaired.