Vince Semenuk Calgary
Criminal Lawyer

You Were Charged With a DUI. Here Is What I Want You to Know.

My name is Vince Semenuk. I'm a criminal defence lawyer in Calgary, and DUI cases are most of what I do.

If you were just charged, you're probably scared, and maybe a little angry too. You're thinking about your license, your job, what you're going to tell people. That's normal. None of it means you're guilty. A charge is the start of a process, not the end of one, and what you do in the next few days actually matters.

Why People Call Me

I've handled close to 800 DUI and impaired driving cases in Alberta. Of the ones I take on, I win about 9 out of 10. I'm not going to promise you that number, because your case is your case, not a statistic, and I won't know where you stand until I've looked at the details.

What I can tell you is how I work. Call my office and I'll review your Administrative Licence Suspension for free. You'll get a real answer from me, not a form letter, usually within a day. I take calls on weekends and holidays too, because I've noticed people don't get arrested on a convenient schedule.

There are over 150 five-star reviews from past clients online. Read a few before you decide anything.

What Happens Next

Your license gets suspended the moment you're charged. That part happens automatically, before you've even had a chance to talk to anyone.

Then you'll get a Notice of Administrative Penalty, and here's the part people miss: you only have seven days to challenge it. Not seven business days. Seven days.

Once you call, we sit down and go through what actually happened. From there I dig into the police report, the breathalyzer results, how the stop was conducted, all of it. I've seen enough of these cases to know that mistakes happen more often than people expect, and a mistake in the process can be the whole case.

If it goes to court or a tribunal hearing, I'm the one standing next to you, working toward a dismissal, a reduction, or whatever the best realistic outcome is.

What's Actually at Stake

I won't soften this part. A conviction can mean a fine up to $1,000, and yes, jail time is on the table even for a first offense. There's a 90-day suspension right away, followed by a year of restricted driving. And a criminal record follows you into job applications, border crossings, insurance renewals, for years.

None of that is automatic. I've had clients walk in assuming the worst and walk out with the charge reduced or gone. The difference usually comes down to what got caught early.

A Few Cases I've Worked

A case thrown out after we caught procedural errors in how the arrest was handled.

A suspension overturned once we proved the breathalyzer testing was done wrong.

Reduced penalties for a first-time client who thought he had no options left.

Every one of these started the same way his did: someone scared, calling to find out if there was anything to be done.

What Clients Say

"Vince fought for my case and got my license back. He is honest, professional, and delivers results."

"I was overwhelmed by my DUI charge, but Vince guided me every step of the way and won my case."

Call Me

You don't have to know what to say. Just tell me what happened, and we'll figure out the rest from there.