Washington DUI, explained plainly.
Seven guides to how DUI stops, tests, and cases actually work in Washington. Written by a firm that has been on both sides of the courtroom.
Where to begin depends on where you are
These guides get read by people in very different situations, and the right starting point is not the same for all of them. Find yourself below.
You were arrested in the last few days
Do not start with the guides. Start with the page that lays out the seven-day license deadline, what happens at each stage, and what to do this week. Come back to the guides once you know what you are dealing with.
DUI, Now What? → You want to understand itYou want to know how any of this works
Read the seven in order. They follow the actual arc of a DUI, from the moment you see the lights through to what a conviction costs a decade later. Each one stands alone if you would rather jump.
The seven guides ↓ Nothing has happened yetYou want to be ready if it ever does
The printable card is the short version: what to say, what you can decline, and what to do in the order it matters. It fits in a glove box, which is the point. Free, no obligation.
Roadside Rights Glovebox Guide →Why a defense firm gives this away
Almost nobody has a lawyer during the part of a DUI that matters most. The stop, the roadside tests, the decision about the breath test, the first seventy-two hours afterward — all of it happens before most people have made a single phone call. By the time someone hires an attorney, the record is largely written.
Publishing what actually happens, in full and without a form in front of it, is the only thing that reaches people during that window. Some will call. Most will not, and will still make better decisions than they would have. That is a trade worth making.
Seven guides. The whole arc of a Washington DUI.
The whole arc of a Washington DUI, from the moment you see the lights to the decisions that shape your case. Follow it in order, or jump to what you need.
Your Rights at a Washington DUI Stop
The three rights that matter at a DUI stop, and the traps that cost people their case.
Read the guide →Reaction Time, Divided Attention & Your Driving Brain
Why your reaction time and divided attention slow before you feel a thing.
Read the guide →Washington's DUI Law, Decoded
What Washington's DUI statute actually says, and why under 0.08 doesn't always mean you walk.
Read the guide →Field Sobriety Tests in Washington
Which roadside tests are voluntary, how to decline, and why they're built for people to fail.
Read the guide →What a Washington DUI Actually Costs
The fine is the cheap part. Where the real cost of a DUI actually lands.
Read the guide →Time, Drinking, and DUI
How alcohol warps your sense of time, and why the one-drink-an-hour rule fails.
Read the guide →What To Do If You're Pulled Over
The three decisions that shape your night if you're pulled over in Washington.
Read the guide →Beyond the seven guides
Court by County
Which courthouse hears a DUI in each of ten Western Washington counties, whether video appearance is accepted, and which counties run a therapeutic court. The rules vary more than anyone expects.
Find your county →The Ten-Year Cost
What a Washington DUI actually costs across a decade, once the interlock, the SR-22, the treatment and the insurance increase are counted alongside the fine.
See the breakdown →Common Questions
Short answers to what people actually ask: what it costs, whether you lose your license, whether you have to do the roadside tests, and whether a DUI can ever come off your record.
Read the answers →Client Reviews
What it was like to be represented by Chester, in the words of people who were where you are, with the county and the outcome each case reached.
Read the reviews →About Chester Baldwin
Twenty years in Washington criminal law, nineteen on the defense side, and a start inside a Thurston County prosecutor's office. Credentials, admissions and public record.
Read the background →Roadside Rights Glovebox Guide
The printable version: what to say at the window, what you can decline, and what to do in the order it matters. Free, and built to live in your car.
Get the guide →Free Download
The Roadside Rights Glovebox Guide
Pulled Over in Washington State? Here's What to Know.
A plain-language guide to your rights at any Washington traffic stop, from a routine pull-over to a DUI investigation. Enter your name and email and we'll send it to your inbox right away. Phone is optional; add it only if you'd like occasional Washington DUI updates by text.