Success Stories

Wallin Saves Postal Worker’s License!

T.W., a postal worker, went to a party in the south suburbs.  He was unfamiliar with the roads there and needed help to get back to the highway so he followed another vehicle that was leaving the party.  Mr. W. was pulled over by the Park Forest police for speeding, and after field sobriety testing, arrested him for DUI.  Mr. Wallin’s cross examination showed that Mr. W. had been driving in an unimpaired manner, even if slightly over the speed limit, and that he did quite well on the field sobriety tests considering his physical disabilities.  Mr. Wallin had previously had Mr. W.’s license suspension lifted after proving that he had not been properly warned of the consequences of refusing to take a breath test.

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Inconsistancies used to raise reasonable doubt!

B.H. was in danger of losing her job after she was charged with driving under the influence after being involved in a collision on the Chicago Skyway.  Attorney Harold L. Wallin took the case to trial, and was able to take advantage of several inconsistencies between the police reports, tickets and officer’s testimony to raise reasonable doubts as to the officer’s contention that Ms. H. was intoxicated on the night of the crash.  Afterwards, the judge commended Mr. Wallin on the professional manner in which he conducted the trial.

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Wallin’s Client beats Felony DUI case, avoids at least a 2 year sentence!

Client L.S. was visiting his hometown of Chicago around Christmas, 2009.  He was found asleep behind the wheel of his rental car on Michigan Avenue, and charged with Aggravated DUI because of two prior DUIs and a revoked drivers license.  Because Mr. S. had an established professional career in California, he was eager for a plea deal that avoided jail.  However, the State’s Attorney would not budge below their offer of two years.  Mr. S. decided to risk the possibility of a bigger sentence if he was found guilty at trial.  Mr. Wallin focused on many inconsistencies in the arresting officer’s testimony, and presented several witnesses who had been with Mr. S. the night of the arrest.  Here is what Mr. S. had to say:  “I live in California but was visiting Chicago during Christmas 09. I was arrested downtown Chicago and was given a DUI. I have two prior DUI’s that occurred in 07 which means I was facing felony charges and jail time if found guilty. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck and couldn’t believe that I had to revisit the nightmare in which I had to endure while going through the DUI process from my priors. Not only that, I knew that I wouldn’t survive a day in jail so I knew that I needed the best representation to get me through my ordeal.  The day before leaving Chicago, I wanted to lock down an attorney. I simply went online and googled DUI Attorneys in Chicago. Harold was one of the first to pop up. I literally asked God to send me to the right attorney, and he did. I immediately called Harold, he got me in, and assured me that he would do everything he could to get me cleared from charges that were filed against me.  It took a few trips back and forth to Chicago before we actually went to trial. Harold talked me and my witnesses through the whole procedure. When the trial date finally arrived, we were all set and ready to go. Harold not only represented me amazingly during the trial, he also cross examined the arresting officer with style and grace. Needless to say, I’m a happy camper because all charges were dropped thanks to Mr. Harold Wallin. A huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and I owe it all to him….. “

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Designated Driver Vindicated!

A.M. is a good example of the saying “no good deed goes unpunished.”  She was the designated driver for a night out with a friend.  On their way home, her intoxicated friend began vomiting inside A.M.’s new car.  When she didn’t proceed immediately after her traffic light turned green (because her friend was vomiting), a Chicago police officer made a traffic stop.  Almost immediately, he arrested A.M., based on very flimsy evidence that she might be under the influence of alcohol (she was “confused” to be interrogated by a police officer, and her car smelled of alcohol (remember, her friend was vomiting inside the car after drinking)).  Attorney Wallin took the case to trial, resulting in a finding of “Not Guilty.”

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Wallin uses video to exonerate client!

J.C. was arrested and charged with DUI by a local university police department after a property damage accident.  Mr. Wallin obtained over six hours of videotape of his client in the police station, and multiple drafts of police reports, including memos suggesting “corrections” to earlier drafts.  The evidence showed that Mr. C. walked sturdily (including walking up steps in the police station while handcuffed) had no difficulty removing his belt or shoelaces or following instructions.  Despite what was put in the reports, he was willing to perform a breath test, but a sergeant talked him out of it.  Afterwards, the sergeant allowed him to take a portable breath test, but did not record the results.  After hearing from multiple witnesses, watching the video, and considering written motions, the judge found Mr. Wallin’s client not guilty!.

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Jury vindicates Wallin’s client!

After a long, hard work week, Mr. G., a journalist, went out to his favorite downtown nightclub, where he networked, danced, and had two glasses of wine.  An acquaintance of his wanted a ride, so Mr. G. told him that he would wait for him outside where he was parked.  While sitting in his properly parked car, with the ignition off, Mr. G. fell asleep.  His acquaintance never showed up, but a Chicago DUI officer did, and arrested Mr. G. for driving while under the influence.  Mr. G. felt this was an example of racial profiling, something he has written about in the past.  Mr. Wallin argued to a Chicago jury that Mr. G. had done nothing wrong, and the jury agreed, acquitting him of DUI.

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Wallin proves client was passenger, not the driver!

Mr. Wallin’s client was attending a block party.  He was offered a ride on someone’s motorcycle, which ended in a crash.  The driver ran from the scene, because it turned out the motorcycle was stolen.  A Chicago police officer who makes a lot of DUI arrests came to the scene, saw an injured (and drunk) Mr. R.T., and arrested him for DUI without investigating the crash.  At trial, Mr. Wallin presented several witnesses who testified that Mr. R.T. was a passenger, not the driver, and the judge found him not guilty.

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Wallin saves truck driver’s license!

B.G., a truck driver, was facing a one year disqualification of his CDL license after he was charged with DUI following an accident. Attorney Harold L. Wallin challenged both the statutory summary suspension and DUI arrest, successfully arguing to the court that the police lacked sufficient probable cause to believe that Mr. G. had been under the influence of alcohol, and the case was dismissed.

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Client profiled by Chicago Cop gets justice!

Patrick B. had worked a long night as a bartender, and was on his way for breakfast when he was stopped by a Chicago Police officer. Patrick felt that the officer had profiled him because he left a “gay” bar in the Boystown section of Chicago. The officer also made Patrick feel that he was being persecuted because of his sexual orientation. Patrick also claimed that the officer changed his statement that he had a diet soda into “rum and soda.” The officer, a veteran on the force, denied all these allegations. After a jury trial, Mr. B. was found not guilty of all charges.

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THREE YEAR SUSPENSION RESCINDED, DUI DROPPED!

Late one night, Mr. A. was involved in a fender-bender accident in Elmwood Park . A local police officer was nearby and directed Mr. A. to drive to the nearby police station to complete an accident report. Once in the station, another officer decided to have Mr. A. perform field sobriety tests, and ultimately decided to charge him with a DUI.

Because this was Mr. A’s second DUI arrest within five years, he faced a three year statutory summary suspension, and revocation of his driver’s license if found guilty.

Mr. Wallin conducted a statutory summary suspension hearing, at which time he questioned the officers who were involved in the arrest. Mr. Wallin then argued to the Judge that the facts of the arrest did not show that the officers had reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. A. had been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the arrest. The Judge agreed, and rescinded the three

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