It is a fact of life that people make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes can affect your privilege to drive a car.  In Missouri, when drivers plead guilty to moving violations or charges of driving while intoxicated or driving while suspended / revoked, real and serious consequences can follow.  Points against your license can lead increased insurance premiums or loss of insurance, and accumulating points for multiple violations may result in suspensions or revocations.  Pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated or suspended / revoked nearly always results in some loss of freedom, either though supervised probation or jail time.  For the most serious charges, the government must prove certain technical elements before it can prevail at trial, and these elements are not commonly known or understood.  Even defense lawyers may not be aware of them!

Matthew E. P. Thornhill began his prosecutorial career specializing in traffic and driving offenses.  He completed numerous jury trials in which the defendant was charged with driving while intoxicated or revoked.  He learned how to win those cases, but also what factors cause those charges to fail.  As a judge, Matthew E.P. Thornhill presided over traffic court and the docket to restore lost driving privileges and issue limited driving privileges.   He mastered the eligibility requirements and how to move the process to completion.  He also ruled on civil cases in which a driver sought to challenge the Department of Revenue’s suspension of his driver’s license after a DWI arrest.  These petitions for review must be filed soon after the arrest, or they will immediately fail (15 days for blowing over .08, 30 days for refusing to provide a breath sample).  Many times prevailing in these types of actions requires a technical knowledge of the regulations governing breathalyzer instruments.  Matthew E.P. Thornhill applied those regulations regularly during his judicial career, and he will instantly recognize when the government has not followed them.

If you have made mistakes that resulted in traffic charges, including DWI, DWR, or DWS or if you are seeking a limited driving privilege or a reinstatement of your license after a suspension, call Matthew E.P. Thornhill today and put his knowledge and experience to work for you.