Award Winning DWI Defense Attorney

Charged with a DWI? Consult a North Richland Hills drunk driving lawyer for Free.

Jeff C. Kennedy has helped clients fight DWI charges for over 20 years. With hundreds of DWI cases dismissed, reduced, or even dropped.

Don’t take unnecessary risks with your future by attempting to handle your DWI case on your own. Your freedom, financial stability, and future job prospects depend on you making the right decision.

A DWI (driving while intoxicated) charge in Texas is a a criminal offense in Texas. Depending on the circumstances of your DWI, you are either facing a misdemeanor or felony. Regardless, if you have been arrested for a DWI, you should take it seriously. 

If you end up with a DWI conviction on your record, your life will be impacted more than you might think.  Your license can be suspended, you may receive a large fine, and you could end up spending time in jail. This all depends on the charge and severity of your case.

Having a DWI attorney on your side could be the difference between spending months in jail or spending no time behind bars at all.

Call to schedule your free DWI case review today.

Law Offices of Jeff C. Kennedy, PLLC
9133 Belshire Dr
North Richland Hills,
Texas 76182
817-605-1010
Hours:Open 24/7
Schedule Your Free Consultation

DWI Laws in Texas

In Texas, driving while intoxicated (DWI) is found in Texas Penal Code section 49.04. DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED.

• (a) A person commits an offense if the person is intoxicated while operating a motor vehicle in a public place. 

Intoxicated while driving is defined in Texas Penal Code Section 49.01

• Not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the body; or
• Having an alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more

Penalties for Drunk Driving

DWI penalties will depend on your individual circumstances, such as your blood alcohol concentration at the time of your arrest, how many drunk driving convictions you already have, and whether you were involved in an accident while you were driving.

When you speak with your DWI attorney, he or she can give you a better idea of what kinds of penalties you might be facing in your particular case.

Below is a basic list of DWI penalties in the state of Texas:

• First DWI – Even your first Texas DWI is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. Your license will also be suspended for a year, and you will have to pay a three-year license retention fee of up to $2,000.
• Second DWI – Your second DWI is a Class A misdemeanor, punished by up to two years in jail and a $4,000 fine. Your license will be suspended for two years, and you may have to pay a three-year license retention fee of up to $2,000.
• Third DWI – Your third or subsequent DWI will likely be classified as a third-degree felony. The penalty is between two and ten years in prison, as well as a fine of no more than $10,000. Your license will be suspended for two years, and you may have to pay a three-year license retention fee of as much as $2,000.

Other Factors

Other factors will impact the seriousness of your DWI and your penalties.

For example, driving drunk with a passenger under the age of fifteen, regardless of whether it’s your first offense, is considered a state jail felony. You can be confined in the state jail for up to two years and charged up to a $10,000 fine, as well as have your license suspended.

If you are involved in a serious accident that seriously injures another person, you could be charged with intoxication assault. This conviction is a second-degree felony, which could result in between two and ten years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and license suspension.

• Failure to Leave Information (ranging from a class C to a Class A misdemeanor)
• Failure to Stop and Render Aid (2nd or 3rd degree felony)
• Intoxicated Assault (3rd degree felony)
• Intoxicated Manslaughter (2nd degree felony)
• Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon (2nd degree felony)

Why You Need To Hire A DWI Attorney

You might think that a DWI conviction on your record won’t impact you all that much, but that is, unfortunately, not the case. DWI convictions can create a lasting effect on your life, disturbing everything from your job prospects to your housing options and even who gets custody over the children in a divorce.

The legal penalties alone can cause a catastrophic impact to your life that may take you years to recover from. If you lose your license due to your drunk driving conviction, there’s a good chance you will also lose your job. You may be ordered to pay a hefty fine, impacting your financial stability. And all this stress affects your family all the while.

Also, you will likely have to take drinking-and-driving related classes. And if you are convicted of drunk driving, your insurance premiums are sure to skyrocket, making it difficult to afford good insurance. This means you could be paying financially for that one mistake for many years to come.

These are all repercussions that come from being convicted of a DWI in North Richland Hills. By hiring an attorney, you are giving yourself a chance to avoid all of this chaos. 

Examples Of How We Fight DWI Charges

After a DWI arrest in North Richland Hills, many people don’t see how they could possibly get the charges dropped. They don’t realize how much a criminal defense lawyer can do for them. We are able to investigate the case in ways that the average person can’t.

We will obtain witness statements, gather evidence, and comb through each detail of your case to find the flaws and formulate a defense. Some examples of ways we can get charges reduced or dismissed are as follows:

• Identifying rights violations the police officer might have committed, which could get key evidence against you thrown out
• Proving there was a lack of probable cause for pulling you over in the first place, meaning your arrest could be ruled illegal or improper
• Drawing attention to the instability of the ground where your field sobriety test took place
• Indicating that there were fumes in the air, on your clothing, or on nearby surfaces that could have resulted in an incorrect breathalyzer reading

Experienced North Richland Hills DWI Attorney

DWI is one of the most widely prosecuted crimes in Tarrant County. We have routinely obtained favorable results for our clients charged with the following intoxication offenses in Richland Hills, TX:

• DWI (Driving While Intoxicated)
• DWI 2nd (Driving While Intoxicated – Misdemeanor Repetition)
• DWI 3rd (Driving While Intoxicated – Felony Repetition)
• DWI with Child Passenger (Driving While Intoxicated – Child Passenger)
• Intoxication Assault
• Intoxication Manslaughter
• DUI (Driving Under the Influence Minor, under 21 years of age)
• ALR Hearings (Administrative License Revocation Hearings)

If you have been charged with any of the above offenses, contact North Richland Hills DWI Attorney Jeff C. Kennedy at 817-605-1010 for a free consultation to discuss the specific facts of your DWI.