Medina OVI Lawyer

Why Choose Us to Represent You in Your Case?

Given the severe OVI legal penalties and collateral consequences associated with a DUI conviction, you should have skilled legal representation in your corner at every stage of the proceedings. The knowledgeable Medina OVI defense attorneys at Patituce & Associates have the necessary qualifications and experience to evaluate options in your case.

Collectively, our team members have more than 70 years of experience defending residents of Ohio against pending OVI and DUI charges and other serious criminal charges. Our attorneys have successfully taken more than 400 criminal jury trials to verdict.

Moreover, our managing partner is one of only 8 board-certified criminal trial lawyers in Ohio.

Three members of our criminal defense legal team were once state prosecutors and represented the government’s interests in criminal legal proceedings. That former-prosecutor experience gives us direct insight into how the state builds a drunk driving case, and we use that knowledge to scrutinize the prosecution’s evidence and identify weaknesses in their theory.

We prepare individualized defense strategies based on each client’s facts rather than a generic approach. We limit our caseloads to support personalized attention, return client calls within 12 to 24 hours, and give clients direct access to our legal team. We also keep clients and, with permission, their families informed throughout the case.

Resolving a DUI/OVI Case in Medina

In any criminal case involving driving under the influence, or an OVI, the state prosecutor must satisfy their legal burden of proof to obtain a conviction against you. Moreover, the state must fulfill this legal burden beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a very high legal standard to meet.

Challenging the State’s Evidence

If the prosecutor fails to prove even one legal element of their case, the court may dismiss your criminal OVI charge. To help poke holes in the prosecutor’s case, we can assert a robust legal defense on your behalf. A defense might work to negate one or more legal elements of the charge, resulting in a judge dismissing your case.

When the facts support it, we can also pursue a motion to suppress: asking the court to exclude evidence obtained through an unlawful stop, arrest, search, or testing procedure. If key evidence is suppressed, the prosecution’s ability to meet its burden is significantly diminished.

If you decide to take your case to a bench or jury trial, we can raise one or more legal defenses on your behalf and argue for a case dismissal. Taking a case to trial is sometimes the better option, especially if you have a robust legal defense. This is a decision we help clients make on a case-by-case basis.

Considering a Plea Deal

Alternatively, we can pursue a plea deal with the state prosecutor on your behalf. In a plea deal arrangement, the accused individual, or the defendant, typically pleads guilty to a criminal charge. However, the prosecutor typically makes one or more concessions in exchange for this guilty plea.

For example, in a DUI/OVI case, the prosecutor might be willing to reduce the charge from a felony down to a misdemeanor, or they might allow the defendant to plead guilty to reckless driving rather than DUI. As part of a plea deal, a defendant gives up certain constitutional and legal rights, including their right of appeal and their constitutional right to a jury trial.

In some situations, it makes sense to accept a plea deal from the state prosecutor, while at other times, a case may be more appropriately addressed at trial. Whether a case is better suited for trial or negotiation depends on the evidence, the legal issues presented, your prior history, and your objectives. Our legal team can help you make intelligent and informed decisions in your case, including whether or not to accept a pending plea deal from the state prosecutor or take your case to trial in court.