It’s not difficult to find a DUI lawyer in Las Vegas – the challenging part is finding the best DUI lawyer in Las Vegas for your specific circumstances. If you’re facing DUI charges in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, Laughlin, Mesquite, or Pahrump a conviction could mean jail time, fines, license suspension, and much more. A DUI can affect many aspects of your life in ways you might not even realize. Therefore, it’s very important to hire the best lawyer you can.
Working with a top Las Vegas DUI attorney gives you the best chance at reduced charges, lessened penalties, or outright dismissal of your DUI case. Further, hiring a DUI attorney with a proven track record of success can significantly decrease the stress and frustration typically attributed to the DUI criminal process.
Don’t gamble with your future by hiring an unproven DUI attorney. Contact The Vegas Lawyers today at (702) 707-7000 and schedule your free initial consultation with a top DUI lawyer in Las Vegas.
(702) 707-7000 | Available 24/7 for Immediate Help
If you are reading this page, you are likely feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and uncertain about your future. Seeing red and blue lights in your rearview mirror is a terrifying experience. In an instant, you go from driving home to facing a legal nightmare that threatens your driver’s license, your job, your reputation, and your freedom.
Take a deep breath. You are in the right place, and this is not the end of the road.
At The Vegas Lawyers, we don’t just know the law—we know the judges, the prosecutors, and the playbook they use against you. Why? Because our team is led by Tony Abbatangelo, the former Chief Judge of the Las Vegas DUI Court.
When you hire us, you aren’t just hiring a lawyer; you are hiring the person who used to sit on the bench and decide these cases. We know exactly what arguments work, where the police make mistakes, and how to protect your future.
We have some of the top DUI lawyers and paralegals in southern Nevada that routinely handle these types of cases in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, Searchlight, Goodsprings and Pahrump.
Do not go into the courtroom alone. Do not just “plead guilty” to get it over with. A DUI arrest is not a conviction. There are defenses available to you, but the clock is ticking.
Before we discuss court dates or defense strategies, there is one critical deadline you need to know right now:
You have only 7 days from the date of your arrest to request a hearing with the Nevada DMV.
If you fail to request this hearing, your driver’s license will be automatically suspended—even if you are never convicted of a crime. The police officer likely took your physical license and gave you a temporary pink sheet of paper. That paper is your notice.
Call us immediately at (702) 707-7000. We can handle this paperwork for you today to ensure you stay on the road while we fight your case.
There are hundreds of lawyers in Las Vegas who can file paperwork. There are very few who have viewed a DUI case from every angle of the courtroom—as a defense attorney, a prosecutor, and a judge.
Tony Abbatangelo served as the Chief Judge of the Las Vegas DUI Court. He has presided over thousands of DUI cases. He knows:
When we walk into a courtroom, we carry a level of respect and authority that few other firms can match. We don’t just guess what the other side is thinking; we’ve been the other side.
Las Vegas is a unique legal landscape. A DUI in the Las Vegas Justice Court is handled differently than one in Henderson Municipal Court or North Las Vegas. We have deep experience in all local jurisdictions, including:
We know the specific judges and prosecutors in each of these buildings. We know who is tough, who is reasonable, and who is prone to making procedural errors we can exploit.
We are not a “plea factory.” We prepare every case as if it is going to trial. This aggressive preparation often forces prosecutors to offer better deals or drop charges entirely because they know we are ready to fight.
Many people assume that if their Breathalyzer result was over 0.08%, they are automatically guilty. This is false. Science is not perfect, and neither are police officers. We use a comprehensive 3-step strategy to dismantle the state’s case against you.
Before we even look at your alcohol levels, we look at why you were pulled over. The police must have “reasonable suspicion” to stop your vehicle.
Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs) and breathalyzers are notoriously unreliable.
Because we do the hard work in Steps 1 and 2, we enter negotiations with leverage. Prosecutors are often willing to reduce a DUI charge to Reckless Driving—which saves you from having a DUI conviction on your permanent record—when they see the holes we’ve poked in their case.
Nevada law is tough on impaired driving, but it is also complex. To effectively defend you, we need to understand exactly what you are facing.
DUI vs. DWI: What’s the Difference?
You may hear these terms used interchangeably. In some states, DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) is a separate, more serious charge. In Nevada, the official term is DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Whether you are charged with alcohol impairment, drug impairment, or a combination of both, it falls under the DUI statute (NRS 484C).
“Per Se” DUI vs. Impairment Theory
There are two ways the state can convict you:
Marijuana and Drug DUIs
Nevada law treats drug DUIs just as seriously as alcohol DUIs. This includes illegal drugs (cocaine, meth) and prescription drugs (Xanax, Ambien, painkillers), and yes, marijuana.
The penalties for a DUI in Las Vegas are severe and life-altering. They increase significantly with each offense.
Most of our clients are facing a first-time offense. While it is a misdemeanor, the penalties are mandatory if convicted:
If you have a prior DUI conviction within the last 7 years, the penalties escalate:
A third offense within 7 years is a Category B Felony. This is extremely serious.
If an accident occurred and someone was hurt, you are facing a Category B felony even if it is your first offense. Penalties include 2 to 20 years in prison.
The “Hidden” Penalties
Beyond the court, a DUI conviction affects your life in other ways:
Fear of the unknown is the worst part of this process. Here is the roadmap of what your case will look like when you work with The Vegas Lawyers.
Phase 1: The Arrest & Release
You have likely already been through this. You were booked, fingerprinted, and released (either on bail or “OR”—own recognizance). You now have a court date several months in the future.
Phase 2: The DMV Hearing (Within 7 Days)
We file the paperwork to pause your license suspension. We hold a hearing with the DMV to fight for your driving privileges. This is a civil administrative process separate from the criminal court.
Phase 3: Arraignment
This is the first court appearance. In most misdemeanor cases, you do not even need to attend. We go for you. We enter a plea of “Not Guilty” and demand the evidence (police reports, body cam footage, blood results) from the prosecutor.
Phase 4: Pre-Trial Negotiation
This is where the real work happens. We scrutinize the evidence. We find the flaws. We meet with the District Attorney to negotiate.
Phase 5: Trial (If Necessary)
If the state refuses to offer a fair deal, we go to trial. We select a jury, cross-examine the officer, and present our expert witnesses. We are trial lawyers, and we are not afraid to fight for your acquittal.
We know you have questions. Here are the answers to the most common concerns our clients have.
One mistake should not define the rest of your life. The decisions you make in the next few days will determine whether this becomes a temporary headache or a permanent scar on your record.
You need a team that understands the local courts, understands the science, and understands how to win. You need the firm led by a former Chief Judge of the DUI Court.
Call us right now at (702) 707-7000.
Let us handle the stress, the paperwork, and the prosecutors. We are ready to fight for you.
Our attorneys are skilled, passionate, and determined to obtain the best possible results for you under the circumstances. If you’ve been charged with a DUI offense in Nevada, contact us today at (702) 707-7000 to discuss the details of your case with a proven DUI attorney in Las Vegas.
