When charged with a DUI in Southern Nevada, you’ll find yourself swimming upstream through a sea of “DUI Attorneys” who offer to handle your case for a figure ranging anywhere from $500 to $10,000. Why the disparity? What’s the difference?

There are two routes an attorney can take when representing someone on a DUI here in Nevada. According to Nevada statute, a City or County prosecutor may not “deal” (negotiate) a DUI case unless there is a problem with the case. What this means is that most attorneys find it very easy to represent a client on a DUI charge: they go into court, plead the client guilty and allow the judge to sentence per Nevada statute. In two appearances and without any office time, the attorney is done with your case: of course they can afford to charge you less than $1000 to represent you. Unfortunately, if you go this route, here are the possible consequences:
DUI, first offense:

  • You will have a misdemeanor conviction on your record
  • You will be imprisoned for up to six (6) months in jail or sentenced to up to ninety-six (96) hours of community service (Court’s discretion)
  • If your BAC was 0.18 or higher, you will be sentenced to an alcohol or drug abuse treatment program
  • You will be fined between $450 and $1000
  • You will be sentenced to pay for, enroll in and complete a DUI education course
  • You will be sentenced to pay for, enroll in and complete a “Victim Impact Panel”
  • You will lose your driver’s license for ninety (90) days (DMV penalty)?

DUI, second offense:

  • You will have a second misdemeanor conviction on your record
  • You will be imprisoned for up to six (6) months in jail or residentially confined for up to six (6) months (“House Arrest”)
  • You will be sentenced to an alcohol or drug abuse program
  • You will be fined between $750 and $1000
  • You will be sentenced to pay for, enroll in and complete a DUI education course
  • You will be sentenced to pay for, enroll in and complete a “Victim Impact Panel”
  • You will lose your driver’s license for one (1) year (DMV penalty)

DUI, third offense:

  • You will have a category B felony conviction on your record
  • You will be imprisoned for up to six (6) years in a state prison
  • You will be fined between $2000 and $5000
  • You will lose your driver’s license for three (3) years (DMV penalty)

Aggravating factors include:

  • Having a passenger under fifteen (15) years of age at the time of arrest
  • A homicide resulting from driving under the influence
  • A prior DUI conviction in another jurisdiction

A complete view of the Nevada Statute (NRS Chapter 484C) regarding driving under the influence can be found at: www.leg.state.nv.us/Nrs/NRS-484C.html

At the Law Offices of C. Conrad Claus, we handle DUIs differently. I am prepared to go to battle for you, fighting to prevent driver’s license suspension, jail time and DUI convictions. No stone goes unturned when I represent you on a DUI case; I will go through every second of your stop and arrest to find any instances where protocol or procedure may have been violated in order to wring the best deal possible from the hands of the prosecutor. Conviction is only an inevitable result when you hire an attorney whose goal is to get in and out as quickly as possible, and that’s not me. I will go to WAR  for you!