Plea to an amended count of careless driving. The client faced a bogus (arguably) charge of refusal, despite making multiple attempts to submit a sufficient breath test. Leveraging a legal issue relating to this, the North Star team successfully negotiated this fantastic outcome without even having to argue it to the court. Now, a gross misdemeanor offense is reduced to a non-DWI misdemeanor conviction that does not include any time to serve.

Stay of adjudication on both counts. The client had no defenses to these serious charges. But, the North Star team worked with her to get the therapy and programming she needed, and then did a thorough job of humanizing her, explaining the issues she's been dealing with (namely, the trauma she's endured from being a victim of a recent sexual assault). Thankfully, the prosecutor was empathetic to these struggles and agreed to this incredible outcome. With this outcome, our wonderful client will not have a criminal conviction on her record, will stay on track with working through her trauma and programming, and can thankfully advance in her life without fear of a daunting criminal record. Typically, achieving a non-conviction record for both a felony drug and DWI case is damn near impossible - but not for the North Star team. We go above and beyond to fight for our clients that need and deserve these atypical results. We are so proud of our client for all that she's accomplished and thankful to help in her journey.

Plea to an amended count of Careless Driving. What's more is that the sentence was for less than a year to ensure the client can commission to the U.S. Army after graduating from college as part of the ROTC program. The client blew a .11, just above the normal cutoff range to get a Careless Driving offer. And when we first reached out to the prosecutor about pleading to a non-DWI - because it was essential for the client's ability to continue serving - the prosecutor only offered a DWI plea. The North Star team kept at it, pushed the right leverage points, and finally got the needed outcome for a deserving client and servicemember. THIS is why we do what we do - to make sure mistakes don't define our clients and hold them back in their life pursuits.

Dismissed. Client was facing second-degree DWI charges stemming from a second-time DWI and a high reading. But, she made the right decision to retain Mr. Gempeler and the North Star team to fight for her. The officer made a welfare check for the client's car parked on the side of an on-ramp. The reports don't mention the positive facts, but the video shows - despite the presence of multiple clues of possible impairment - that the Officer stated (TWICE) that he did not believe the client was impaired. So, a later DWI investigation seemed to be beyond the scope of the stop and interaction. After raising this issue, the prosecutor called Mr. Gempeler the day before the contested hearing and agreed to dismiss the case entirely. Another incredible outcome for the North Star team.

Plea to an amended count of failing to drive with due care. The client had zero prior record and no legal defenses. He didn't even complete proactive steps in advance of negotiations. The North Star team still aggressively approached the prosecutor, set on getting this needed outcome to help preserve the client's career. At first the prosecutor did not meet our needs, but we kept pushing, negotiating and persevered. The client could not be happier to get this incredible and unique (at least to non-North Star defense attorneys) outcome that best positions him going forward.

Plea to an amended count of Careless Driving. What makes this outcome so remarkable is that the client blew a .13 and had zero legal defenses. Typically, the cut off for pleading to a non-DWI is .10 on a first-time DWI (and it absolutely has been a hard cut off with this prosecutor). But, undeterred, the North Star team humanized the client, got numerous character letters praising the client, and explained how his future was on the line with this case. Add in a small leverage point with a discovery issue and the team was able to get this needed outcome for this fantastic client. Once again, the North Star team shows that it can achieve these incredible results even when everything seems stacked against us.

Plea to an amended count of Careless Driving. The client blew a .12 and had no legal defenses. Typically, anything above a .10 is too high to get a non-DWI outcome, especially with a prosecutor known to be less forgiving with DWI's. Nonetheless, the North Star team set out to achieve a much-needed result for the client. Focused humanizing the client - by highlighting her challenging divorce at the time, her future career and the impact to it caused by a DWI, and her proactive steps - we were able to convince the prosecutor to make a deviation and obtain this rare outcome. The North Star team fought like hell in negotiations and got this fantastic outcome for a deserving client.

Dismissed on the morning of trial. The client was wrongly accused of being in physical control of a vehicle, when he instead was merely a passenger with his buddy as they were using the vehicle to stay warm and find a sober ride home. Armed with a strong defense for trial, the client refused all offers, even when they kept improving on the doorstep of trial. Ready for his day in court and for a jury to find in his favor, the State finally dismissed the case. Understandably, a huge win for a deserving client. And it goes to show, being prepared and willing to take on a trial can lead to great results, even without a trial actually starting.

Update: The North Star team successfully litigated the implied consent license revocation, arguing the client was not in physical control of the vehicle. The Judge agreed and gave the client back his driving privileges and his driving record will not have the equivalent of a DWI on his record. This is a complete win on all fronts by North Star.