Blog Post

Should You Hire a DUI/DWI Specialist?

Daniel Leavitt • Nov 15, 2021

Hiring a Virginia DUI Attorney Can Make all the Difference

  1. Virginia DUI Law is Very Nuanced


Most general criminal lawyers in Virginia have done DUI cases and so they have a general background about DUI law. The problem is, when it comes to things like the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, and the breathalyzer they really have no idea how those work. So when a general criminal lawyer reviews a DUI case in Virginia, they cannot really make good progress because they don't know how to attack those issues.


In fact, many general criminal lawyers will take an officer at their word that the tests were conducted accurately and show intoxication. The opposite is often true. At Leavitt & Martin, when we review body camera footage showing how officers conduct the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, we OFTEN find issues with how the tests are conducted.


This leads to recognized legal defenses that result in either an OUTRIGHT WIN at trial or an offer to reduce the charge to something much less severe. See the following examples of cases we either WON at trial or had reduced to something minimal based on legal defenses.

List of Services

Leavitt & Martin: Certified to Administer SFST's

Virginia officers are trained to administer the standardized field sobriety tests (SFST's) according to standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards. There is actual science behind these three field sobriety tests that when performed according to the standards, will likely show intoxication.


At Leavitt & Martin, both Daniel Leavitt & Corey Martin took the NHTSA three day certification course in DWI DETECTION AND STANDARDIZED FIELD SOBRIETY TESTING. This is a three day course, and to pass the course participants must PERFECTLY administer the three standardized field sobriety tests according to NHTSA standards.


In real life trials, MOST POLICE OFFICERS IN VIRGINIA DO NOT DO A GOOD JOB OF ADMINISTERING THESE TESTS. For example, I have seen officers write in their police report that the defendant failed the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test which is the eye test. However, when looking at the body camera footage it is clear that the officer NEVER PROPERLY TESTED the defendant.


A properly conduct HGN test will take at least 1-3 minutes to conduct. I have seen MANY officers finish this test in 15-30 seconds. It is not possible to accurately conduct this test according to NHTSA standards in that time period. That means you can throw out that test and the results cannot be used against your client.

Leavitt & Martin: Track Record of DUI Success in Virginia

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