Seattle DUI Settled at Negligent 1st Degree
Ray Ejarque recently represented me on a DUI charge in King County. Make no mistake, fighting a DUI here is an extremely tough & trying process, and the State of Washington – unlike many other states – does not have a provision that allows even first-time DUI offenders to avoid a criminal record. That said, all through the 7-month process, Ray (and his very capable associate Sarah Delanty) kept me informed of the many events in my case and provided very valuable advice about what I needed to do & what the process would entail. With Ray's guidance, we won my DOL civil hearing, which meant that initially my license would not be suspended for 90 days. (Caution: your mileage may vary, as Ray pointed out that only a small % of defendants win the civil case, since the hearing officer can only consider narrow legal aspects.)
The criminal case is very daunting, but again Ray led me every step of the way, offering his best guidance on how we could proceed & what outcomes were possible. He didn't over-promise – the reality is that now in King County, it is very difficult to beat a DUI; i.e., to escape with no criminal record. Besides the tough (some might say draconian) Washington State DUI laws, a main reason is that hundreds – or more – DUI BACs were tossed out by the courts due to a ruling that lasted for two years. So it seems that KC prosecutors are perhaps making up a bit for lost convictions by being tougher on negotiations now, even on first time offenders, with no prior record of any kind, as I was.
The bottom line is that Ray Ejarque is a true professional that went to bat for me very conscientiously & aggressively, and I'm convinced he got me the best settlement possible. While I do have a simple misdemeanor record now, Ray was able to get my case bargained down twice from DUI – not a trivial matter! – and I ultimately received no license suspension and was not required to get high-risk insurance – which is very costly.
I highly recommend Ray Ejarque for anyone who is unfortunate enough to be going through the DUI process in King County.