You can’t afford all the Houston DWI penalties. Fight now and contact our team at 713.864.9000 to schedule your free case evaluation. We serve Houston and the surrounding areas and are available 24/7 to fight for you.
Trial Tested DWI/DUI Lawyer in Harris County
Were you arrested and charged with a DWI in Texas? If so, you have some prompt deadlines approaching in order to save your Texas state drivers license. Thiessen Law Firm offers a free case evaluation, and we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ease your concerns and protect your freedom.
In the face of drunk driving charges, you need the best DWI lawyer Houston has to offer. You won’t find more aggressive trial attorneys to defend your DWI case or other alcohol related offenses, or one with a better success rate than our team. Our founding attorney Mark Thiessen specializes in Criminal law and DWI Defense. He is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Board Certified in DWI Defense Law by the National College for DUI Defense, has been voted a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers Association (2014 – Present) and voted a Texas Super Lawyer by Thompson Reuters (2010 – Present). He is currently one of only two criminal attorneys, and the only DWI attorney to be named to the Top 100 Super Lawyers in all of Texas for each year: 2019 and now also 2020. He is the only DWI Attorney to be included in the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Houston since 2017.
We’ve Won 100+ Not Guilty Verdicts for Clients!
Too many attorneys falsely represent themselves as having expertise in the intricacies of DWI/DUI law, but Mark Thiessen, our firm’s founding attorney, actually specializes in DWI defense and practices what we preach: In a driving while intoxicated (DWI) trial, we dissect DWIs with scientific precision because, though we practice all criminal law and alcohol related offenses, we are trained in and specifically emphasize driving while intoxicated (DWI) defense. We actually have the expertise that you need to get the best DWI representation possible.
First, if you have not been bailed out, call Burns Bail Bonds at 713-224-0305. Then, once you are rested, give us a call to set up your free DWI case consultation. We will meet you anytime we are not in trial or in court, even on the weekends.
If you have been accused of a more serious prostitution charge, or any other sex crime, you need a prostitution defense attorney in Houston that will aggressively fight for your rights. Once you are convicted of a serious prostitution charge it will follow you for life — fighting the conviction is the only thing that you can do to give yourself a chance.
Your Houston DWI Case
First, we need to see what court you landed in. The particular court tells us a lot about how the judge operates, who the prosecutors are and what chance this case has of getting dismissed. Some courts have unreasonable prosecutors who refuse dismissal and we must go to trial.
On a side note, some lawyers will tell their clients that everything will be okay or dismissed at the initial consultation. That is simply malpractice. At this point in the case, they do not know enough to make such a statement and are just giving you a false sense of security. At Thiessen Law Firm, we are honest with you from the very beginning. We will need these things:
1. Offense Report
We will get the Offense Report at the first court date and sit down with you and show you the contents. There are many ways around a DWI conviction. Why were you pulled over? Is that reason consistent with the current case law? Next, who is the officer? Is he DPS or a DWI Task Force Officer or is he an inexperienced patrolman who is going to crumble on the stand? What Standard Field Sobriety Tests did you perform? Did you have any prior mental or physical injuries?
2. Video
We will request the video of the arrest. It is up to the officer to turn in the video tape, if there is one. If there is not a video, we will subpoena his patrol vehicle’s maintenance records and figure out why there was not. If there is a video, we will watch it and ask that you do as well. Then, together, we can discuss the pros and cons of contesting what is on the video. Are we able to suppress the video? Usually not. But we can suppress portions if they violate the law.
We will also secure the station video and see how you looked when you were booked at the station. Again, we will discuss the pros and cons of using this video and weigh out our options.
3. Breath Test Score
Only about 5% of attorneys are capable of trying a breath test case with a chance of winning. Mark Thiessen is trial tested and proven. In fact, he speaks to other lawyers at national seminars on how to beat high breath test scores without the use of an expert. And since he’s also an honest lawyer, you must know that he will need a good video to beat a high breath test. If you had a low breath test, Mark Thiessen can usually educate the jury on all of the problems with the breathalyzer machine and the acceptable ranges of error in order to explain the reading. The Intoxilyzer 500EN is outdated and in need of replacement. Many states have already abandoned the machine and moved on the better or newer models. At Thiessen Law Firm, we keep extensive breath test records on all breath test machines.
4. Blood Test Results
Less than 1% of criminal attorneys can win a blood test trial with the blood being admitted into evidence. Mark Thiessen has won three blood test trials where the blood comes in to evidence and the jury returns a verdict of Not Guilty (.022, 0.19 and 0.09). Anyone can win a trial with the blood suppressed. You need an attorney who can win with the blood coming in. The science is based on gas chromatography, mass spectrometry gas chromatography or enzymatic assay testing, and is highly scientific. Mark Thiessen is one of the few Houston DWI lawyers who can explain the science of gas chromatography to you in terms that you can understand and can convince a jury of the unreliability of the machine and the program. He also knows Mass Spectrometry and is a published author on Hospital Enzymatic Assay testing. Only a skilled and knowledgeable DWI trial lawyer will not only challenge the four corners of the warranty and the chain of custody with the blood, but will also know how the science works and where problems arise in that process.
“Mark Thiessen is a Jedi Master of his craft. Mark and his team have a keen and tactical approach to handling your case, yet still manage to maintain a lot of empathy in their communication with you. A rare combination indeed…”
Posted by Arie B.
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How Do You Win a DWI Trial?
Few lawyers have learned to win DWI trials on a regular basis. DWI is one of the hardest cases to try because it is an opinion crime. The definition of intoxication is not having the normal use of your mental or physical faculties, or having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.
A skilled DWI trial attorney will systematically weave a thread of doubt throughout the entire case, demonstrating to the jury everything that occurred leading up to, during and after the arrest. The police and district attorney only focus on the negative aspects of your police interaction. We give the jury ALL the information they need to follow the law. The State must prove you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and it is their job to do so. Our job is to reveal the truth to the jury, even if it prevents the district attorney from completing their mission. When Thiessen is representing you, very rarely can or does a jury decide guilt beyond a reasonable doubt based on an officer’s opinion that you lost your normal mental or physical faculties. What separates us from the other Houston DWI trial lawyers is that we care about our clients: We get to know who you are so that we can present the real you to the jury for their consideration.
If the State has a breath or blood test, your case might become more difficult, but a fair jury will still follow the law and find you not guilty. The State must prove that your BAC is accurate and reliable. Mark Thiessen has rarely met a district attorney with enough knowledge and understanding of the Intoxilyzer machine and infrared spectroscopy to be able to convince a jury upon the reliability of the results. Blood is more difficult to defend than breath and, again, few DWI defense attorneys understand the science, and even fewer district attorneys understand blood. It is absolutely crucial that you hire a blood or breath DWI trial attorney such as Mark Thiessen.