Minnesota’s Best DWI Lawyers
We proudly call ourselves “Minnesota’s Best-Trained DWI Lawyers” because we believe our extensive training and education give our clients a real advantage in exposing the flaws in the state’s DWI cases. Does that make us Minnesota’s Best DWI Lawyers? Maybe. Read about our training, education and work to decide for yourself.
DWI and DUI charges involve legal and scientific issues requiring specialized knowledge. Our attorneys are not only well-versed in these complexities but have also undergone rigorous training in the same programs that police officers and forensic scientists take. This unique insight allows us to effectively challenge the evidence used against our clients.
NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) and Certified SFST Instructor
Nearly all Minnesota police officers are trained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to detect DWIs through Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST). These tests are used as probable cause for arrest, and police officers interpret the results to decide whether a driver is impaired. If an officer deviates from the standardized methods, the test's validity can be compromised.
Attorney Chuck Ramsay is NHTSA-certified to administer SFSTs but is also a certified NHTSA SFST instructor. Having gone through intensive training, including “wet lab” sessions with dosed individuals, Chuck has a deeper understanding of the tests’ nuances than many officers (most Minnesota cops take only a 16-hour class without a wet lab). This makes him uniquely qualified to challenge the accuracy and administration of these tests in court.
NHTSA Certified Advance Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE)
ARIDE training is designed to help officers distinguish between alcohol and drug impairment, as well as medical conditions that mimic intoxication. While many officers only complete a basic version of this training, Chuck completed a full 16-hour ARIDE course. This enables him to effectively cross-examine officers and highlight weaknesses in their assessments of drug-related DWI cases.
We are aware of a handful of Minnesota lawyers who are SFST-trained. However, to our knowledge, only one lawyer—a former police officer—has this training.
FORENSIC SCIENCE TRAINING: BLOOD, BREATH AND URINE TESTS
Certified DataMaster Operators and Supervisors
Most DWI cases involve chemical tests of blood, breath, or urine. Attorneys Ramsay and Daniel Koewler are certified operators of DataMaster DMT, the current breath-testing instrument used in Minnesota. The manufacturer trained them in 2011 with just one other Minnesota lawyer. Chuck is also a certified Intoxilyzer 5000 operator). He and his team have traveled out of state to receive advanced training directly from the experts who developed these instruments. This allows us to thoroughly scrutinize the chemical evidence used against our clients.
Only one other Minnesota-licensed attorney has had this training and certification.
DWI defense often requires understanding complex scientific principles, and we’ve taken steps to master them. Chuck Ramsay completed the prestigious Indiana University Alcohol Borkenstein Course, an expert-level program designed for government scientists who administer blood and breath alcohol testing programs.
Only one other Minnesota-licensed attorney has attended Borkenstein. The school no longer permits defense lawyers to attend.
Additionally, Chuck is the only Minnesota lawyer to hold the Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Designation, earned through the Chemistry and Law Division of the American Chemical Society. This certification is awarded only to lawyers who complete a series of rigorous forensic science courses and exams, including forensic chromatography, drug analysis, and forensic DUD-Drugs. Dan Koewler has also completed one of the gas chromatography courses required to receive the designation.
National College for DWI Defense (NCDD) Serious Science Course
Chuck and his partner Dan Koewler have completed the NCDD’s Serious Science Course, a six-day program focused on blood alcohol and drug analysis. This course combines advanced forensic science training with trial advocacy, giving our attorneys the tools to present complex scientific defenses effectively in court. The two have attended countless other continuing science legal education courses, but Charles Ramsay has taken this further. He attended the NCDD’s metrology courses and was a two-time instructor speaking about proper instrument calibration.
The NCDD website lists no other Minnesota lawyer as having completed this course.
Chuck Ramsay is one of only 55 lawyers in Minnesota certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association. He’s also the only Minnesota lawyer to earn Board Certification in DWI Defense from the American Bar Association. This national certification, held by only 43 lawyers nationwide, has rigorous requirements and requires passing an exceptionally challenging exam and demonstrating extensive experience in DWI defense.
Other Minnesota Lawyers Seek Consultation and Hire Us for Tough Cases
Other lawyers regularly contact us to consult on their DWI cases and often retain us to handle contested hearings or DWI trials from start to finish. This trust from our peers speaks volumes about our reputation and expertise in the field. When other attorneys seek our guidance, they recognize we have the advanced training, deep knowledge, and proven trial skills to handle the most complex DWI cases. This is a clear indication that we are regarded as among Minnesota’s Top DWI lawyers, and we bring that same level of excellence to every client we represent.
Decades of Experience and Oodles of Awards
With decades of experience and a history of accolades, our firm stands out as Minnesota’s premier DWI defense team. Chuck Ramsay brings nearly 30 years of successful DWI experience, earning multiple "Super Lawyer" awards since 2000 and being named "Attorney of the Year" in 2011. He is also on the faculty of the National College of DWI Defense. Dan Koewler also has multiple Super Lawyer awards; both were named “Attorney of the Year” in 2016. Koewler, a former chair of the MACDL Amicus committee, has also built a reputation for excellence. Together, they publish an award-winning DWI blog, sharing insights from their cases and legal developments. We’ve published chapters in DWI treatises and are the authors of the chapter on Blood, Breath, and Urine testing in the Minnesota DWI Deskbook. Ramsay and Koewler have prevailed in dozens of jury trials, secured more dismissals than they can keep track of, and been involved with 100s of cases on appeal, prevailing at the Minnesota Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Supreme Court, and even at the United States Supreme Court.
What This Means for You
Our training and education don’t guarantee a win in every case, but they significantly increase the chances of exposing flaws in the state’s evidence. We believe this sets us apart and gives our clients a better chance of success, whether avoiding a conviction or getting their driver’s licenses reinstated.
While we respect other qualified Minnesota defense attorneys, we believe our dedication to training and science gives us—and our clients—a unique edge in DWI cases. We don’t have all the data to prove we win more DWI cases than any other DWI lawyer or have a higher winning percentage. Still, we know we’re not only Minnesota’s Best Trained DWI Lawyers, but in our opinion, we are, arguably, Minnesota’s Best DWI Lawyers. .