Just because you were convicted of a crime doesn’t mean that your conviction must forever haunt employment background checks, stop you from becoming a U.S. citizen or remain a deportation threat.
There is no reason to let a youthful mistake, misunderstanding, past criminal record—or especially a criminal identity theft—be a barrier to future opportunities. Many options of post-conviction relief are available to help you, even after you have served time, finished probation, or paid your fines. Relief is critical for clearing the records of victims of criminal identity theft.
Through post-conviction proceedings, the Law Offices of Jonathan Minkus can attempt to lessen the negative consequences of having been convicted of a crime. Your background may be used against you in rental matters, employment and education opportunities, by Immigration and Naturalization—and even socially.
No matter which state you’re in in the country, driving with a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) level of .08 percent or above is illegal. However, the specifics of the punishment for a driving under the influence (DUI) crime varies on a state-to-state basis. If you live in Skokie and are arrested for and charged with a DUI offense, it is important that you understand Illinois’ DUI laws, the potential consequences that you face, and how to mitigate the most severe repercussions. As soon as possible following arrest, we strongly recommend that you contact an experienced Skokie DUI attorney.
As stated above, the legal limit in Illinois is .08 percent, which is typically between two and four drinks depending upon a person’s height, weight, metabolism, and other factors. For those who are under 21–the legal drinking age–there is a zero tolerance policy in place, which means a BAC reading of anything over 0.00 percent can result in a DUI charge. For those with commercial drivers’ licenses, the BAC limit is .04 percent.
As a note, if a person has a BAC of .16 or above, the offense carries an enhanced penalty.
According to a comprehensive DUI guide published by the Illinois Secretary of State, a first offense DUI is a Class A misdemeanor that will result in a one-year license suspension (or two years if the offender is under 21 years of age). A Class A misdemeanor in Illinois is penalized by an incarceration period of up to one year, and a fine of up to $2,500.
If the offense is committed with a BAC of .16 or above, the penalties will also include at least 100 hours of community service.
If a person commits an aggravated DUI, which may occur if there is a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle at the time of offense, of the offense is a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or subsequent conviction, the penalties are more severe. In fact, a second offense with a child in the car is a Class 4 felony, a third offense (sans child) is a Class 2 felony, a fifth conviction is a Class 1 felony, and a sixth or subsequent conviction is a Class X felony. A Class X felony is penalized by a prison sentence of between six and 30 years, and a fine of up to $25,000.
Being charged with a DUI may not only mean expensive courts fees and fines, license revocation, and potential jail time; it can also mean a mark against you that lasts for life, impairing you from pursuing certain opportunities or obtaining employment. To help you build a defense, negotiate with the prosecution, and hopefully secure a case outcome that is as least damaging to your life as possible, you need an experienced attorney on your side.
At the Law Offices of Jonathan Minkus, our Skokie DUI attorney has the skill set and drive you’re looking for. Contact Jonathan Minkus today for an initial consultation.
I am forever grateful for Jonathan Minkus and his assistance with my clemency petition. I found myself in an exceptionally troubling situation in which my legal status in the US was in jeopardy due to my criminal record. Per the advice of my immigration attorney, I engaged Mr. Minkus’s services in the hopes that he might be able to assist with a clemency petition. Mr....
My wife and I have tried 3 times for her green card and was rejected three times because of some trouble she was accused of before she spoke English. I asked another Lawyer is there anything we can do and she referred us to Jonathan Minkus. We meet with Jonathan and said he might be able to help us but it would be difficult. Jonathan...
Jonathan helped me to vacate two of charges against me, and both of them are successfully vacated. I had a very good experience working with Jonathan and he is a very kind person and very considerate. I would like to highly recommend someone that has same situation as me to go get help form Jonathan.
For 6 years my wife and I tried to receive our Green Card. After being declined 3 times, I asked our immigration lawyer is there anyway to correct some legal issues my wife fell into before she learned to speak English. We were referred to Jonathan and he has done miracles in clearing her name so we finally have a chance at receiving our Green...
Jonathan is not only a brilliant attorney but he is a genuinely good human being. A petty misdemeanor mistake was holding back our immigration process. We came to him seeking options and hope. Upon meeting Jonathan during our initial consultation, his overwhelming knowledge, positivity and kindness were on full display and we immediately felt hope again. I know in my heart Jonathan deeply cares for...
I highly recommend his services.
Jonathan was the only one willing to help my husband and me during a tough time. My husband was facing deportation and had no chance to beat his case unless Jonathan was able to vacate a previous conviction. Jonathan was persistent and genuinely advocated for my husband and family. Jonathan was able to vacate the 12-year-old conviction with DuPage County, giving us a fighting chance...
I hired Mr. Jonathan Minkus for a criminal drug conviction which I needed removed off of my record that I had pled guilty to over 7 years ago. Without going into too much detail about the difficulty of my case, I would just like to emphasize how difficult it is to convince a Judge 7 years after pleading guilty to drop a charge. Well, Jonathan...
Mr. Minkus did extremely good work on my difficult criminal case for Resisting Arrest . Also he help me save my Commercial Driver License for Agrivated speeding. That means he save my job and my income. This is High Class Lawyer and I would recommended This Lawyer to anyone with deep trouble . Thank You again mr Minkus.
I was wrongfully advised by an immigration lawyer to expunge my criminal record that consisted of a drug related charge in order to apply for residency. My wife and I quickly found out this was not true and were referred by two different lawyers (who did not know one another) to contact Mr. Minkus. We were without hope and filled with stress.
I almost never write reviews and when Mr. Minkus just finished representing my brother and I looked for him online I felt like I had to write this. Yes, he is not the cheapest lawyer around but he did exactly what he said he would do. My brother was being deported and we were sent to Mr. Minkus to try and fix his criminal record.
I hired Mr. Minkus a month ago after a convoluted incident that left me with criminal trespass and criminal damage to property, possibly pending a burglary charge. The confessions I had written and the police notes that were taken while I was in custody painted a very bad portrait of me and the system likely would have given me a severe sentence if not for
My experience with mr. Minkus was outstanding. Mr.Minkus really help me with difficult criminal case for Resisting Arrest and extremely bad traffic ticket for agrivated speeding . I would recommend this lawyer to anyone who are in deep trouble. I would love to say again THANK YOU mr Minkus for Excellent work on my case.
I had a conviction in my record that affect my ability to get my citizenship. Mr Johnatan came highly recommend from my immigration attorney and he was right. Mr Minkus went out of his way to get my conviction changed to the level that won't affect me anymore. I highly recommend his services.
Senior Partner Jonathan Minkus has successfully defended individuals charged with every conceivable criminal offense, from traffic misdemeanors to death-penalty eligible homicides.
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