DWI AND TRAFFIC LAW
At it’s inception in 1981, Steve Burton was one of two prosecutors who was involved in the set up and implementation of the Stop DWI program in Suffolk County. As such, he prosecuted numerous alcohol related crimes inclusive of Driving While Intoxicated and/or impaired. Since he left the District Attorney’s Office, he has defended numerous DWI charges, both as felonies and misdemeanors, and has had many jury and non-jury trials relating to alcohol related offenses, inclusive of Criminal Negligent Homicide.
A DWI arrest will immediately impact not only you, but your family, finances and career. A conviction will go on to create serious long-term problems which are cumulative and very serious in nature. At the Law Office of Steve Burton, veteran attorney Steve Burton can offer you more than 36 years of legal experience to advise and advocate for you.
Courts see countless driving while intoxicated cases every year, and they along with the prosecutors increasingly develop a pretty unforgiving routine for how they are handled. Without experienced representation from the inception, an individual charged with a DWI may just become a blood alcohol level and a case number to the prosecutor and judge. It is very important that you have your case evaluated as soon after the arrest as possible.
If you are a first time offender, you should have an attorney who can evaluate the case to see if there is any reasonable way to defend the case instead of simply plea bargaining. If you are a repeat DWI offender you need to know if there is a reasonable chance of prevailing at trial. There are times when Steve Burton has been able to have these types of charges completely dismissed by making a written motion. In December of 2009, instead of allowing a client to enter a plea to an alcohol related defense, he successfully had a driving while intoxicated charge dismissed via a written motion to the Suffolk County District Court; thereafter, the alleged refusal to submit to a chemical test from that same case dismissed after hearing at the Department of Motor Vehicles (February 2010). Such legal maneuvers saved the client up to five figures in fines and increased insurance charges and surcharges. While this does not happen in every case, Steve carefully evaluates each case using his thirty years of experience to see if there is any cost effective way of defending the matter.
Trials are very time consuming and expensive and should be utilized when the prosecutor is offering the client "ice in the winter": if the plea bargain requested is a complete surrender offering a lot to gain and little to lose by trial or when the client has a reasonable chance at prevailing. Steve Burton does not want to expend a client’s hard earned dollars for a trial if the chances of prevailing are slim to none.
Steve Burton will determine if he can build a strong defense and explore every option for having charges reduced or dismissed. Sometimes that means working with the prosecutor and exploring community service and/or treatment alternatives. This area of the law is constantly changing and you need an attorney who is well versed in the area of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Laws.
Other traffic offenses:
Steve Burton handles all other types of offenses such as driving with a suspended/revoked license, leaving the scene of an accident. reckless driving, speeding and hazardous material trucking (oil trucks) and commercial drivers license cases. If you have a commercial drivers license you need to immediately see an experienced attorney if you receive any significant traffic infraction.