Abe Bates, Member of Mumford and Rawson

Abraham (Abe) Bates is the founder and lead counsel of Wasatch Advocates, a Salt Lake City-based DUI and criminal defense law firm.  Abe has represented over 100 clients in criminal prosecutions in municipal/justice courts and state and federal court across the state of Utah since he founded Wasatch Advocates in 2009.

Wasatch Advocates’ primary focus is on defending those accused of alcohol and drug-related offenses, including DUI/DWI, drug possession/distribution charges, and other charges which often arise from improper traffic stops.  Abe is a life-time member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and he is a firm believer in the decriminalization of drug-related offenses.  Abe is intimately familiar with the relationship between undiagnosed mental health issues and the consequent “self-medication” drug use to which many people resort given the lack of affordable health care in our country.  Abe completed Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor (LSAC) coursework at the University of Utah and worked as a chemical addiction counselor at Cirque Lodge near Sundance before attending law school.

DUI DEFENSE

Abe’s primary focus is on defending those accused of alcohol and drug-related offenses, including DUI/DWI, drug possession/distribution charges, and other charges which often arise from improper traffic stops.  Abe is a life-time member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and he is a firm believer in the decriminalization of drug-related offenses.  Abe is intimately familiar with the relationship between undiagnosed mental health issues and the consequent “self-medication” drug use to which many people resort given the lack of affordable health care in our country.  Abe completed Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor (LSAC) coursework at the University of Utah and worked as a chemical addiction counselor at Cirque Lodge near Sundance before attending law school.

Because of the conservative/religious culture that predominates in Utah, DUI’s are aggressively prosecuted,  oftentimes resulting in excessive consequences, including jail, long-term driver’s license suspensions, ignition-interlock requirements, supervised probation, and fines and other penalties a exceeding the normal consequences for a class B misdemeanor first-time offense.  Aggressive DUI defense requires an attorney with a particularized skill-set and understanding of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST’s) and the scientific forensic evidence (the Intoxilyzer 5000/8000, or “Intox” machine) that law enforcement uses to prove a case.  Many DUI “expert” attorneys in Salt Lake City charge in excess of $6,000 to defend a client accused of the class B misdemeanor offense.  Wasatch Advocates charges a fixed/flat fee of $2,500 for a standard first-time DUI offense.  Abe, and his firm Wasatch Advocates, are committed to providing affordable flat-fees and payment plans for those accused of committing crimes.

SAMPLE CRIMINAL DEFENSE VICTORIES

Less than six months into practice, Abe successfully convinced the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office to voluntarily dismiss a first-degree felony rape charge on behalf of a client based upon shoddy investigative work done by the law enforcement agency resulting in the client’s arrest after spending 72 days in jail.  Abe also successfully defended and obtained dismissals of a total of 39 felony charges against 3 co-defendants accused of forgery, identity theft, and money laundering in early 2010 based upon arguments related to the illegality of the traffic stop underlying the arrest.  After the charges were dismissed, Abe secured the return of all the property seized during the arrest.  Abe has also successfully defended a number of out-of-state clients on felony drug possession/distribution charges based upon improper traffic stops on the I-70 and I-80.  In several of these cases, Abe obtained misdemeanor pleas/pleas-in-abeyance (fines/good behavior probation-no jail) in these felony possession/distribution cases.  In one case Abe’s clients was arrested with over 50 pounds of hydroponic marijuana on the I-80 after being stopped for an improper lane change.  Abe was able to get his felony distribution charge reduced to a plea-in-abeyance on a class A misdemeanor attempted possession charge (no conviction after payment of a $1,500 fine).  Abe has also successfully defended clients accused of serious felony sex crime charges by intervening in the investigative stage of the criminal justice process and demonstrating the weaknesses in the case – resulting in the State’s failure to file charges.

Abe’s experience includes felony and misdemeanor DUI cases. Abe is a committed defense attorney dedicated to safeguarding the rights of people accused of DUI. Attorney Abe Bates offers free initial consultation to anyone alleged to have committed a DUI offense. Abe is open and accessible and can be reached after hours on his cell phone number at (801) 505-8430.  Abe can also be reached at office number at (801) 662-0077.

Areas of Practice

·         Criminal Law

·         Criminal Fraud

·         DUI/DWI

·         Drug Violations

·         Federal

·         Felonies

·         Grand Jury Proceedings

·         Juvenile Crimes

·         Misdemeanor

·         Parole & Probation

·         Prosecution

·         RICO Act

·         Sex Offenses

·         Traffic Violations

·         Victims' Rights

·         White Collar Crimes

Litigation Percentage

75% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

25% of Practice Devoted to Negotiation/Mediation

Bar Admissions

Utah, 2009 & U.S. District Court District of Utah, 2009

10th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2010

Nevada, Pro Hac Vice, 2010-2011

Education

University of Utah College  of Law, Salt Lake City, Utah

J.D. With Honors

Westminster College/University of Michigan

B.S, Magna Cum Laude

Major:  Political Science

Truman Scholar Nominee (University of Michigan)

Honors and Awards

Giles Rich Moot Court Competition, 2008 - 2009

•    1st Place - University of Utah Competition (2008)

•    Best Brief (Appellant), and Runner-Up, Utah State Competition (2008)

•    1st Place - University of Utah Competition (2009)

•    1st Place - Utah State Competition, ((2009)

•    Best Brief (Appellant & Appellee), Utah State Competition (2009)

•    1st Place - Western Regional U.S. Competition, San Francisco, CA (2009)

•    Semi-Finalist, National Competition, Washington, D.C, Federal Circuit Court of

Appeals (2009)

• Outstanding Achievement in Consumer Law

• Outstanding Achievement in Scientific Forensic Evidence

References

• Greg Skordas, Managing Parnter, Skordas, Caston & Hyde

• Kent Hart, Director, Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

• Augustus (Gus) Chin, Justice Court Judge, City of Holladay; (former) Criminal Defense Practice Manager, Wasatch Advocates.

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Member, Utah State Bar

• Member, Utah Association of Trial Lawyers

• Member, National Association of Consumer Advocates

• Member, Utah Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys

• Member, National Lawyers Guild

• Member, Utah Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys

• Member, White Collar Criminal Defense Attorneys Association

Past Employment Positions

• United States House of Representatives, Legislative Assistant, Washington D.C. (1997 -1998)

• Founder, Innovative World Wide Web Designs (IW3D), Ann Arbor, MII 1994-1996)

• Product Manager, Orbitz, Chicago, IL (1999-2000)

• Teacher/Teacher Trainer, Kaplan Test Prep, Salt Lake City, UT (2002-2006)

• Treatment Counselor, Cirque Lodge, Provo, UT (2006)