[mpslg]

I am a prosecutor and I mostly prosecute OWIs. Here's my 2 cents, for whatever it's worth.

As far as a lawyer goes, there are MAJOR differences in lawyers who handle OWIs. Almost all of the lawyers I deal with see OWI cases as easy money. They take your money and get a plea agreement. I can't speak for every prosecutor, but I will give the same deal to a person who represents themselves on a standard OWI.

There are attorneys who specialize in OWI cases. They are very expensive, but if you want to fight it, I would suggest you find someone who specializes in OWI cases.

All attorneys will look for ways to suppress evidence, but if there is something really obviously wrong with the case, most prosecutors won't file it in the first place.

OP, either you weren't as drunk as you thought or the officer who pulled you over didn't know what he was doing. The "eye test," a/k/a the horizontal gaze nystagmus, is the most reliable field sobriety test. You can't control the "jerkiness" of your eyes when you are under the influence of alcohol.

You can pass the other tests, with enough practice. Try them the next time you're drunk.

Finally, those of you who are saying you passed the tests, it is very likely you didn't. Most drunk people I prosecute think they passed the tests. There are certain clues the officer is looking for and most people have no idea what they are. Officers generally don't tell you how you are doing on the field sobriety tests.

Sorry so long, just wanted to clarify some of the points.