DWI Information Portal

I got arrested for DWI. What now?

You need to schedule a free consultation with a DWI lawyer immediately. You are potentially facing two cases against you, both of which require the immediate intervention of an experienced DWI attorney:

• A DWI License Suspension Case- If you refused to provide a breath or blood sample during your driving while intoxicated arrest, you must request an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing from the Texas DPS within 15 days from of your arrest or your license will be suspended for up to one year. Call DWI Attorney Flint Schneider today and we’ll schedule an ALR hearing for you, free of charge.
• A DWI Case in Criminal Court- The government wants to put you in jail, on probation, or both. They want to levy thousands upon thousands of dollars in fines, fees, and costs against you. The earlier you hire a DWI lawyer, the earlier we can get started building the aggressive criminal defense you need.

During your free consultation, we will lay out several things that we can do to be proactive and assist with your DWI defense. At the Schneider Legal, we believe the client is vital to their own defense. While this may seem obvious, you would be surprised at how many law firms have little or no contact with their clients after they are retained. We believe that keeping our clients informed with the status of their case and building your defense together will help us achieve our goal of getting your DWI dismissed.

What is the timeline for resolving my DWI/DUI case?

If you are arrested for DWI in the DFW Metroplex—in Denton County, Dallas County, Collin County, or elsewhere— the process is pretty much the same. Your DWI charge will likely linger for many months before the charge is filed and your DWI defense attorney can begin mounting a defense in your case. The graphic below will help you understand the timeline we will be working against:

DWI vs. DUI in Texas – What’s the difference?

In Texas, most individuals are charged with DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) as opposed to DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Many states outside of Texas call their version of DWI “DUI”, which causes confusion. In Texas, you will be charged with DUI if you are under the age of 21 and have any detectible amount of alcohol in your system. However, a person under the age of 21 that has a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater or was driving under the influence of drugs may be charged with DWI. Denton Criminal Lawyer Flint Schneider can help.

What are the penalties for a DWI in Texas?

The punishment range for DWI varies depending on a number of factors, including prior DWI/DUI convictions and blood alcohol content (BAC), both of which can be contested with an experienced DWI lawyer.

1^st DWI (with blood alcohol content/BAC under .15):

Level: Class B Misdemeanor

Potential Jail Time: 72 hours-180 days in county jail (6-180 days if open container is found)

Range Fine: 0-$3000

Probation: Up to 2 years

License Suspension: 90 days to 1 year

Possible Probation Terms: Ignition Interlock (Breathalyzer) Device, DWI Education Class, MADD Victim Impact Panel, Community Service, Drug Tests

First DWI (with a blood alcohol content/BAC above .15 or higher):

Level: Class A Misdemeanor

Jail: 72 hours-365 days in county jail 

Fine: 0-$3000

Probation: Up to 2 years

License Suspension: 180 days-2 years

Possible Probation Terms: Ignition Interlock (Breathalyzer) Device, DWI Education Class, MADD Victim Impact Panel, Community Service, Drug Tests

2^nd DWI (government must prove a previous conviction for DWI):

Level: Class A Misdemeanor

Jail: 30 days -1 year in county jail

Fine: 0-$4500

Probation: Up to 2 years (mandatory 3 or 5 days in jail depending on date of prior conviction)

License Suspension: 180 days-2 years

How much does a Denton DWI lawyer cost? How much does a Dallas DWI lawyer cost? 

It depends. Different cases require different defenses. To properly answer that question, we have to know more about the case and the particular needs of the individual client. Call our office today at 469.708.2828 or fill out our case submission form we will reach out so we can discuss our fees to handle your case directly. We offer flexible payment plans to help offset the sudden cost of a DWI arrest.

What areas do you serve?

DWI Attorney Flint Schneider represents clients all over DFW metroplex with a special focus on Denton County, Dallas County, Collin County, and Tarrant County. Criminal Defense Attorney Flint Schneider has represented individuals charged with DWI from Carrollton, Lewisville, Denton, Dallas, Flower Mound, Farmers Branch, Plano, Little Elm, Frisco, Fort Worth, Highland Village, Corinth, Argyle, Sanger, Pilot Point, Rowlett, Grand Prairie, Arlington…the list goes on.

Can you get my DWI case dismissed?

Our number one goal is to get our client a dismissal of their DWI charges. And sometimes we do. But this is no easy feat, and it is not a result that we can guarantee. And any lawyer that tells you they can get “guarantee” or “promise” that your DWI case will be dismissed without seeing the evidence in your case is lying. This is because DWI’s are not regularly dismissed after the DA’s office has decided to file them in the first place.

The best results are obtained if we are hired on a case early, where we can potentially get testimony from the officer at the ALR (license suspension) hearing that we can use to try to stop the DA’s office from filing the charges in the first place. Even if you have a bad DWI case, by getting started early we can get you started on a program to show the court that you have taken the DWI arrest seriously and are taking steps to remedy the issue so that it doesn’t occur again. And with the case and the right program, sometimes we can secure a dismissal of your charges.

Can you get my DWI charges reduced?

 There are several avenues to try to get DWI charges reduced if a dismissal is simply not in the cards. Because some of the punishment enhancements on DWI cases require the state to prove your blood alcohol content (BAC) is at or above .15, a respected ability to attack the science behind the lab results can make the prosecutor decide to reduce the charges to avoid the uphill battle of proving the BAC at a trial.

I got charged in with DWI in Denton County. What’s going to happen?

Most misdemeanor DWI cases in Denton County are transferred into County Criminal Court No. 5 to be presided over by Hon. Coby Waddill. Because the prosecutors assigned to that court handle so many DWI cases, they are generally more skilled and knowledgeable than most at the issues that can arise in a DWI prosecution. But that doesn’t mean they win all the time. They can be beaten. And it takes a skilled Denton DWI lawyer to do it.

One of the ways we have had success in getting charges reduced or dismissed in Denton County is by being willing to set cases for trial and being ready to go to trial if necessary. Oftentimes, when we put their feet to the fire, something happens that makes the plea bargain offer go down favorably for our client. They are offered a reduction in charges, a pre-trial diversion program, time-served with no probation, etc. Sometimes, the best criminal defense in Denton County requires a client willing to go the distance to get the best results.

We understand that the anxiety surrounding your DWI case can be overwhelming at times, and Denton Criminal defense attorney Flint Schneider is here to help. We serve Denton County, Dallas County, Collin County, Tarrant County and beyond. We have clients located in cities across the DFW metroplex, including Denton, Dallas, Carrollton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Little Elm, The Colony, Corinth, Highland Village, Argyle, Krum, Sanger, and beyond.