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House Law Office

 

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Practice Areas

Criminal Defense

Frequently Asked Criminal Defense Questions Are you facing an Impairing Driving Charge?   We represent people throughout Wisconsin in all types of criminal cases in both state and federal court.  Contact us if you or your loved one is charged with: Disorderly Conduct Domestic Abuse Drug Crimes Battery Sexual Assaults Theft or Robbery Burglary Or any [..]

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Family Law

Madison, Wisconsin Divorce and Family Law Attorneys Divorce consistently ranks as one of life’s most stressful events. When divorce is coupled with a dispute over child custody, placement or support, the emotional toll is even higher.  It can be difficult to put one foot in front of the other during these times, much less make [..]

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Immigration Law

Madison, Wisconsin Immigration Attorneys A Powerful Advocate for Immigrants in Wisconsin and throughout the U.S.  Each year tens of thousands of foreign nationals seek to join family members in the United States or struggle to remain lawfully on U.S. soil.  But U.S. immigration laws are complicated and often confusing.  As a result, many non-citizens and [..]

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Impaired Driving Offenses

If you have been charged with operating while intoxicated (OWI/ DUI) it is important that you contact an OWI defense attorney immediately.

If you have been arrested and charged with a OWI / DUI in Wisconsin, you only have ten days after notification of a driver’s license suspension to challenge the suspension. Failure to promptly challenge the suspension will result in a license suspension while your case is pending. Likewise, failure to timely demand a hearing on a test refusal allegation will result in a license revocation and ignition interlock device requirement for a minimum of one year . DWI / DUI penalties have become a hot button political issue in Wisconsin and across the nation. In recent years fines, license revocations and mandatory jail terms for OWI convictions have increased dramatically. You can no longer afford to represent yourself in an OWI case or hire an attorney unfamiliar with recent changes to the law and hope for the best. Additionally, depending on your driving record and previous OWI history, you could face jail, the loss of your license, or even prison if convicted. At the House Law Office, we work with prosecutors and the court in exploring alternatives to harsh sentences and the extended loss of driving privileges in OWI cases when all possible avenues for dismissal or reduction of charges have been exhausted.

If you’ve been charged with drunk driving, it’s important to contact an experienced OWI/DUI lawyer as soon as possible to challenge the suspension of your license. Our office will prepare all necessary paperwork and take whatever steps are available to try and dismiss or reduce the charges and sentence against you.

When an OWI Charge Must be Challenged

Despite what police would like the public to believe, breathalyzers are not infallible. Additionally, if an officer does not have reasonable suspicion to pull someone over, the charges against them will likely be thrown out of court. Arresting officers are also required to administer a field sobriety test according to certain prescribe procedures. If they fail to adhere to proper protocol, an OWI arrest may be thrown out as well. Additionally, it is important to review any prior criminal convictions for OWI related offenses where a person was not previously represented; it may be unlawful to use that as a prior offense for charging purposes.

If the circumstances surrounding an OWI arrest make it advisable to challenge your arrest, we have the investigative and forensic resources needed to expose violations of proper procedure, poorly maintained or improperly calibrated breathalyzers, and constitutional violations of our client’s rights.

Avoid Making Mistakes that could Create Additional Legal Difficulties

House Law Office is dedicated to helping people facing OWI charges. For most people charged with OWI, it is their first contact with the legal system. Once House Law Office is hired to represent you, we will take over your case and ensure that it is handled correctly so that all of your rights are preserved and you can obtain the best possible results.

Individuals charged with driving while intoxicated face serious consequences. Those consequences include sudden license suspension, increased insurance premiums, fines, imprisonment, international travel restrictions, license revocation, mandated substance abuse treatment and the loss of employment where a driver’s license is required.

Questions about anOWI arrest?

At House Law Office, we understand that people make mistakes. We also know that mistakes should not follow people around forever. If you have been charged with operating while intoxicated, operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration, or operating with a detectible level of a restricted controlled substance, please contact us. We are dedicated to providing quality representation to clients throughout Wisconsin.

Attorneys

Jen Hanna

Graduating cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School, Attorney Jen Hanna is the founder of Holevoet & Hanna, LLC. Having gained significant experience through serving countless clients, we often refer to Jen as our Yoda. Not only is she exceptionally insightful, but she also manages to be patient while everything tries to grab her attention. [..]

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Melissa Young

As a double-badger, Attorney Melissa Young is truly dedicated to her community. Before joining our firm, Mel provided free legal help to incarcerated parents in their family law matters through the Frank J. Remington Center Family Law Project. She also served as an advisor on youth violence issues and chaired the UW-Madison Advisory Committee for [..]

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Elisabeth Fletcher

Elisabeth Fletcher is originally from the Fox Valley area in Northeast WI. She received her bachelor’s degree from UW Oshkosh in 2010, and graduated with her J.D. from the UW Law School in 2013. While she was in law school, she worked for the Frank J. Remington Center Reentry Project, providing a wide range of [..]

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About 

J. Steven House represents clients accused of crimes or traffic violations throughout Wisconsin. He graduated with honors, magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1999 and began legal practice with the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office in Knoxville, Tennessee where he worked in the Misdemeanor, Felony, DUI and Trial divisions as well as handling appeals. In 2006 Steven began private practice in Wisconsin while still handling appellate matters in Tennessee. Steven House handled drunk driving cases exclusively for several years as well as working for small law firms which focused on impaired driving defense.

This intensive focus on impaired driving offenses provided the experience necessary to obtain numerous dismissals, reductions and amendments of drunk driving charges to lower level offenses. During this time he became intimately familiar with the nationally standardized field sobriety tests and the numerous factors that can lead to false results from those as well as blood alcohol tests. As a private attorney, Steven House persuaded a state supreme court to overturn a jury verdict convicting a client of felony aggravated assault and aggravated reckless endangerment stemming from an attempted “suicide by police officer.” This appellate success was followed by successfully petitioning the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2010 to review the decision of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in State vs. Janet A. Conner, 2009 WI App 143, challenging the jury instructions as well as the trial and appellate courts’ interpretation of the aggravated stalking law.

Recent appellate successes include overturning the conviction of a client on three counts of distributing a schedule 2 narcotic to a police informant, obtaining a new trial in Jefferson County, and suppression of evidence obtained by search warrant in the appeal of a burglary conviction in Rock County. The House Law Office continues to focus solely on criminal and traffic defense at the trial and appellate levels with an emphasis on impaired driving and drug offenses. In hiring Steven House you will have an attorney who cares about his clients, is passionate about civil liberties, and who understands that the law is an ever changing field that requires persistent study. You will also have an attorney who will personally handle your case rather than passing it on to a junior assistant to review and draft motions or even appear in court with you.

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