Monday, February 23, 2015

February 12, 2015: OWI-1st/PAC-1st (with .12 blood test result) Reduced to 2 Minor Traffic Tickets

Nothing pleases us more than helping a young adult with a promising future avoid the awful stigma of a drunk driving conviction. Beyond the obvious court-imposed penalties, the black mark of a drunk driving conviction can haunt someone for years to come, particularly when they are just starting out. Even the most routine background check will reveal the details of  a DUI conviction, often disqualifying otherwise excellent candidates from their dream jobs. That certainly was the concern for our client, CR, and his parents. An excellent student, CR was pursuing a degree in a field that would not tolerate a conviction on the drunk driving charge he found himself facing. His parents decided that Dennis Melowski was the best attorney to save their son's future. And Dennis delivered. After enduring a frustratingly slow court process, Dennis was ultimately able to leverage a legal issue he had raised into a fantastic negotiated settlement on the afternoon of a motion hearing in CR's case. Under the terms of the deal Dennis reached, the original drunk driving charges were dropped in exchange for CR's plea of no contest to 2 minor traffic offenses: Inattentive Driving and Improper Parking Off Roadway. Aside from paying fines, CR suffered no consequences. He never lost his license for even a single day and completely avoided an alcohol-related conviction. It is as if his drunk driving arrest never occurred. Most importantly, his bright and promising future is still fully intact.  CR's dad was so thrilled with the outcome that he posted a review of Dennis' work on the independent lawyer rating website Avvo. The review is entitled "Best of Class!" and can be read here: http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/53081-wi-dennis-melowski-1523763/reviews.html

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

February 5, 2015: OWI-1st/PAC-1st (with .20 breath test result) Reduced to Reckless Driving in Milwaukee County

This was an amazing result in a case with some very difficult facts. Initially stopped for multiple traffic violations by a veteran police officer (a lieutenant, no less), our client, DP, proceeded to fail the roadside field sobriety tests and blew a .20 on the breath test done at the police department. When all was said and done, things were looking very bleak for DP. But as an out-of-state resident who traveled extensively for his job, DP simply could not have a drunk driving conviction on his record. It would have ruined him professionally. He had to do everything he could to prevent that from happening. After extensive research, DP turned to our firm to save his career. After slugging it out in court for more than a year, Attorneys Singh and Melowski ultimately did enough damage to the prosecutor's case to negotiate a very favorable outcome, due primarily to deficiencies in the breath test machine they were able to expose. Under the terms of the deal, DP completely avoided a drunk driving conviction by having that charge reduced to Reckless Driving. DP never lost his license for even a single day and suffered no employment repercussions. He couldn't have been happier with the result. DP was so happy, in fact, that he posted a glowing review of our work in his case on the independent lawyer rating website Avvo.com. The review is titled "Amazing Results" and can be read by clicking the following link: http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/53081-wi-dennis-melowski-1523763/reviews.html

Monday, February 2, 2015

January 14: 2015: OWI-1st/PAC-1st (with .138 blood test result) Reduced to 2 Minor Traffic Tickets in the Middle of a Jury Trial

This was a major victory for our client, MN. He had been arrested for drunk driving the night before he was scheduled to start a very lucrative new job with a large corporation...a job that required him to have a valid CDL. A drunk driving conviction would immediately disqualify his CDL and MN would lose the job he had worked so hard to obtain. He had no choice but to fight the case. Dealing with a very stubborn prosecutor, the case was destined for trial from the beginning and Dennis prepared it accordingly. Although Dennis was able to unearth several promising issues in the case, he was careful not to disclose them to this particular prosecutor, knowing he still would not budge off the drunk driving charge. Not wanting to needlessly tip his hand, Dennis waited until trial to unleash what he had discovered on the unsuspecting prosecutor. As it turned out, it was a strategic move that paid huge dividends. During the trial,  Dennis' cross-examination of the arresting officer was so effective in undermining the case against his client that during the first court recess afterwards, the judge asked to see both attorneys in his chambers. The judge literally told the prosecutor that he was going to lose the case if it went to the jury and strongly encouraged him to settle the case to avoid a complete loss. Initially reluctant (apparently he couldn't see the jury's eye rolls during the officer's testimony), the prosecutor finally, and grudgingly, agreed. And it was a settlement that couldn't have been much better for MN. Under the deal, the drunk driving charges were dropped. Instead, MN plead no contest to two non-alcohol-related minor traffic tickets: Inattentive Driving and Improper Stop at Stop Sign. Aside from paying fines, MN suffered no consequences. He never lost his license for even a single day and his CDL was completely saved. As was his job. Another very real result.