Expert San Antonio DWI Defense Attorney George A. Scharmen
A San Antonio & South Texas DWI Specialist
Recognized For Excellence In DWI Law & Board Certifications
Expert San Antonio DWI Defense Attorney
I Have Been Fighting DWI Cases For Decades
Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) has always been a very serious charge in San Antonio & the surrounding counties, and unfortunately it only gets more serious with each legislative session (which it has with this legislative session that just ended, I will update on this site). DWI Charges can change your life, end a career, or even end a marriage. That is why if you have been arrested for DWI or any other intoxication related case in San Antonio or South Texas, I will help you the same way that I would help a family member or a close friend as an experienced DWI lawyer.
After your arrest and release, I want to make sure that nothing else is happening that could threaten your liberty or your finances, and I will do what I can to stop that from happening. Some people have employment contracts or Texas State certifications impacted by a DWI arrest. There are some things that a DWI attorney like me can do to help you with that. Oil field workers, truckers, teachers, nurses, and CPAs have issues with their jobs. As a DWI lawyer that has handled thousands of cases, I have helped them all.
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Limiting your legal involvement includes helping you keep your driver’s license, and I will tell you immediately what you can do to keep it. In Texas, a person arrested for DWI immediately has a driver’s license problem. Police give the IMPRESSION THAT YOUR LICENSE IS SUSPENDED AFTER YOUR DWI ARREST. However, THAT IS NOT TRUE. If your license was valid before the DWI arrest, it is valid AFTER the DWI arrest. It can be suspended, but if you get to a DWI lawyer within 15 days of the arrest, we can stop the suspension by requesting an ALR hearing.
The goal I have with every client arrested for DWI is a dismissal, a rejection of the DWI, a deferral or a “not guilty” verdict from a jury. The important thing to remember is it's not always easy to fight your DWI, but you can't win if you don't fight, don't just plead guilty! That is NOT to your advantage! San Antonio and other cities around San Antonio such as New Braunfels, Boerne & Seguin, take a very hard line against DWI defendants, so be sure to pick the right DWI lawyer for the task. You need an experienced, knowledgeable, tough and competent lawyer to win your DWI case. I have been fighting DWI cases for over 40 years. Who you hire to win your DWI matters- Do your research! Make sure your DWI lawyer of choice is and has been dedicated to the practice of DWI Defense. Look for publications that have recognized a DWI lawyer's accomplishments- national, state and local recognition (Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Defender of the Year). Look for DWI appeals they have done and have changed the law in Texas. I have over 120 appeals that you can see in google scholar in State and Federal courts. Additionally, I won an appellate case that provided authority for suppression of the breath tests in Texas (Bagheri v. State). Look for organizations they are a part of (I've helped to create three lawyer organizations. I was a founding member of the National College for DUI Defense and I was the founding president of the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, I am also the past president of Texas DWI Lawyers Association.) Look for jury trial competence (A recent jury trial I conducted was an intoxication manslaughter, and the jury gave my client probation. Additionally, I tried a case last week, a police officer with a .12 breath test and the jury came back with a not guilty verdict. These are both 2025 cases.). DWI and intoxication cases are difficult and involved because of the science behind blood testing and breath testing. Hire the right DWI lawyer the first time.
As you can see on this website, I am an expert DWI lawyer. I am a DWI lawyer with over 40 years of DWI defense experience. I have never been a prosecutor, I never wanted to be, I have always been on the defense side of DWI cases. I am a very experienced DWI lawyer with two board certifications (Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Criminal Law and the National Board of Trial Advocacy). I practice mostly in San Antonio and in the South Texas area. Although I mostly handle just DWI cases, sometimes people are charged with other criminal cases when they are arrested for a DWI, such as drug possession or unlawfully carrying a weapon. I handle these cases for my clients as well. I have dedicated the last 30 years of my practice to focus EXCLUSIVELY on DWI Defense. I am an expert in all DWI & DUI cases and all of the criminal cases that come to me in a DWI arrest. I educate other lawyers, judges and prosecutors on the intricacies of DWI blood draw cases, breath testing, and the science behind the breath testing machine and blood draw procedure. In fact, just a few weeks ago I spoke to a public defender's office in South Texas about how they can better defend their clients in DWI cases, and I do this regularly. DWI Defense is what I am known for as a lawyer around Texas and it is my passion. This fact is documented on this website and in the cases I cited indicating my impact on the jurisprudence of this State. I am a published DWI lawyer with over 120 appeals, and I have many published DWI and DWI related cases that have changed the law on DWI cases in Texas. These appellate cases of mine are argued in Texas courts every day. Do your research before hiring a DWI lawyer. The punishment for a DWI conviction and the future repercussions of having a DWI arrest and/or conviction on your permanent record is severe and it really is in your best interest to hire a qualified, experienced DWI Attorney.
There may be others who are criminal defense lawyers, and they claim to be some kind of “expert.” They have a big law firm, perhaps the “largest” criminal defense law firm in Texas. None of that matters. What matters is whether he or she will be your lawyer, the same lawyer you hired, who will handle your DWI case to conclusion. The size of the law firm you hire does not matter. What matters is that the person representing you is an experienced and proven DWI lawyer with demonstrated involvement in DWI cases. If someone tells you they are an “expert,” you need to see their certification from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. It is only a personal opinion for a lawyer to call himself an expert or a specialist in the field of DWI practice when he says he is an “expert.” However, there are ONLY 776 Board Certified Criminal Law Lawyers in Texas out of approximately 100,000 lawyers, and I am one of them. Starting with a lawyer who is giving you false references to their abilities (which is all over the internet) is a bad start.
While a DWI in Texas has always been a serious charge, it’s not the end of the world. There are a lot of things I can do to help you after your release on a DWI charge. I don’t want to minimize your problem you have after you are arrested for a DWI because for most it is a VERY serious problem. I just want you to know that once you sit down and talk to me about your DWI case, and a little time has passed, you will become a lot less stressed about your situation, and you will be more hopeful. There is no hopeless case. Even difficult cases can and have been won. But DO NOT wait around to get a lawyer, you really need to get a DWI lawyer soon. You have a 15 day deadline to request an ALR (Administrative License Revocation) or you lose your right to take the arresting officer's deposition & this is a very important step in the process of defending your DWI case.
As one of the most experienced DWI lawyers in San Antonio, I believe that in most misdemeanor DWI cases, the worst is already over in terms of your incarceration. However, if you have been arrested for a DWI-2nd or a Felony DWI you especially need an experienced DWI lawyer with extensive knowledge and expertise of the Texas DWI laws and the case laws in Texas because now jail and prison is involved. In cities like New Braunfels, it is especially important because they take a very hard line in almost every DWI case.
If your case is a repeat DWI offense, we need to take a closer review of prior cases. I need to know the date and court. In particular, I need to know about out-of-State convictions because some of them cannot be used legally in Texas (happens more often than not). The out-of-State DWI or DUI conviction may have an effect on plea bargaining more than on the actual charge.
There may be other consequences after a DWI arrest, but if you reach out to an experienced DWI lawyer like myself, together we can do a lot to limit or eliminate them.
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How Much Time For Resolution In DWI & Intoxication Cases
The time depends upon the facts of your case and your prior record. Some cases may be resolved in under 4-5 months and others can take many more months and even years.
I know most people want their DWI case over as soon as possible. They are embarrassed, scared and regretful and just want their case to go away. That solution is easy, but it is not always the best. If your DWI lawyer does not work on the case and take the time to reach the best resolution for you, the outcome may be harsher than necessary. Therefore, your lawyer will need some time to review everything, especially the blood draw results, which takes several months to even receive from the Department of Public Safety (DPS). You would want a full review, right? After time and after a few conversations with me about the future events in your case, you will begin to adjust to the situation. Most people begin to feel more comfortable with the legal process and legal system. The most important thing is to trust that your lawyer to know what he is doing on your behalf.
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With these comments, I want to encourage you to call my office, we answer the phone after hours, make an appointment, read through this website, and educate yourself about your situation. It does matter that your DWI lawyer has years of experience. It does matter if your lawyer is an expert at handling DWI cases, especially DWI second or Felony DWI cases. At the Law Offices of George Scharmen you will get expert help from a Double Board Certified Criminal Defense Lawyer who ONLY practices DWI law and is an expert in the DWI practice of law. We take only DWI cases and have decades of experience in courts around the State. You need that kind of expertise to win your DWI. This is that one big thing you should take care of in the best way.
You Cannot Afford Simply To Plead Guilty To A DWI Charge
If you or your loved one has been charged with DWI, it is imperative that you contact me as soon as possible to prevent loss of certain basic rights. You only have 15 days to request an ALR hearing. This hearing is to protest the suspension of your driver’s license and to take the officer's deposition. This can be an invaluable resource in defending your DWI case because most of the time I can get the officer's deposition under oath before the District or County attorney has had the opportunity to even discuss the case with the officer. I promise immediate, supportive, and aggressive assistance so that your record may be cleared of any DWI charge. I am a board certified criminal defense lawyer in the San Antonio area who defends the rights of those facing DWI and intoxication charges while also representing them if they are charged with other offenses during the DWI arrest.
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Put My Extensive Experience to Work For You!
For more than 40 years, I have exclusively practiced criminal law and DWI defense. I have had the opportunity to help many people clear DWI arrests from their records (expunction), and I have litigated DWI cases using up-to-date legal and scientific tools regarding DWI defense. My scientific training helps me to obtain rulings suppressing blood tests and exposing errors on the part of forensic analysts. Today DWI cases involve scientific evidence in blood testing for alcohol and drugs. Training on blood testing and drug testing is necessary! With the right information I have been able to demonstrate to the jury that the laboratory was wrong simply because it did not have the correct equipment to do the analysis, or that another laboratory could not connect the blood they tested to the defendant on trial. Often, on the very first page of the analytical blood test report, the level of alcohol is reported as being higher than it was during the actual test. It is a simple error to find, but many lawyers, including prosecutors, miss it.
I Go the Extra Mile to Help You Obtain a Positive Outcome
Preparation for jury trials is the best means of obtaining the desired result for my clients. I know that people do not necessarily want a jury trial, but in some cases it is unavoidable. I promise to attempt to resolve the case outside of the courtroom, if possible, but I also promise to be ready for anything in the case including a jury trial.
I have had at least 120 of my appeals published in state and federal courts, and some are before the appellate courts at this time. Some of my successful appeals have helped other DWI lawyers in their trials. Opinions from my appeals are recognized and used by defense lawyers and prosecutors as well. With my extensive experience and track record of success, you can be confident in my ability to successfully resolve your complex DWI case.
