Law Offices of Smith and White
Compassionate Counsel, Passionate Defense
Firm Overview
1019 Pacific Ave. #1210
Tacoma
WA
98402
- (206) 650-9270
The Law Offices of Smith and White provide that and more. Seattle DUI lawyers and criminal defense attorneys Derek Smith and James White have tried and negotiated tens of thousands of criminal defense cases including:
â¢Driving Under the Influence or DUI
â¢Criminal defense of felonies and misdemeanors
â¢Domestic violence
â¢Gun rights including self defense
â¢Expunging or vacating records
â¢Restoring civil rights
â¢Drug asset forfeiture defense
Seattle DUI Attorneys
In Washington a DUI stays on your record forever and is punishable by up to a year in jail, five years of probation, mandatory ignition interlock (blow and go), mandatory alcohol treatment, the loss of your license and hefty fines. An experienced DUI attorney can make all the difference. The veteran attorneys at Smith and White are committed to getting you the best results. We are passionate about protecting your rights in the process.
Seattle Criminal Defense Lawyers
Never is it more important to have a trusted, compassionate counselor and defender than when you've been charged with a crime. Whether it's a serious felony offense or a simple misdemeanor, we have decades of experience with the criminal justice system in Washington. The bold and savvy attorneys at Smith and White have a track record of getting positive results for our clients.
Tacoma Office
The Law Offices of Smith and White, PLLC
The Washington Building
1019 Pacific Avenue Suite 701
Tacoma, WA 98402
Tacoma Law Office
Seattle Office
The Law Offices of Smith and White, PLLC
The Washington Building
701 5th Ave., 42nd Floor
Seattle, WA 98104
Seattle Law Office
At The Law Offices of Smith and White, PLLC, our lawyers know the challenges you are facing. We have helped hundreds of people deal with DUI arrests. We can also help you:
Protect your driver's license or CDL so you can keep working
Deal with auto insurance and ignition interlock issues in a reasonable way
Collect evidence to challenge the state's case against you
Shepherd you through the Washington state DUI process
Whether this is the first time you have been arrested for DUI or you have been charged with felony DUI for multiple offenses, we offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case. With offices in Tacoma and Seattle, our lawyers handle DUI cases throughout western Washington state, Pierce County, King County and the Puget Sound area.
If You Have Been Arrested for DUI, Time Is Not on Your Side
Time is not on the side of a person arrested for DUI. Every day that goes by may be a missed opportunity to collect evidence that could result in dismissal of the charges or reduction to a less serious offense such as reckless driving. For example, video evidence that can prove the police office did not follow proper procedure when administering the Breathalyzer may be recorded over.
If you fail to hire a lawyer to represent you at your DUI hearing with the Washington Department of Licensing (DOL), not only will your driver's license be automatically suspended, you will also miss a chance to find out how strong or weak the state's case may be. Witnesses who could back up your case may move out of the area or their memories may fade.
Months can pass between your arrest and your first court appearance. However, that doesn't mean that your case has "fallen through the cracks." Your DUI case won't go away. All that will go away is an opportunity to prepare the strongest possible defense.
Contact Our Seattle Criminal Defense Attorneys
Call 800-895-7932 or 253-666-8590 to discuss your case with our Tacoma DUI defense attorneys or send us an e-mail through this website. We will arm you with the information you need to make sound decisions about your case.
How did your firm decide on the primary area of practice(s)?
Tacoma criminal defense attorneys Derek Smith and James White have a combined three decades of experience in criminal law. They've tried and negotiated tens of thousands of cases to positive resolution for their clients.
Our main office is located in downtown Tacoma and we have an office in Seattle located in the Columbia Tower. The Law Offices of Smith and White defend clients throughout Western Washington in Pierce, King, Kitsap, Thurston, Snohomish, Mason, Jefferson, Clallum and Kittitas counties.
As Tacoma DUI attorneys, they have extensive experience in DUI defense in Tacoma Municipal Court and Pierce County District Court. Derek and James handle DUIs as well as domestic violence, self defense claims, drug asset forfeitures and other Washington felonies and misdemeanors in Tacoma and Seattle.
The Law Offices of Smith and White is founded on the belief that our clients deserve a compassionate counselor to give our best advice and a passionate defense before the court.
What experience or education distinguishes your lawyers from others
James has focused his career on criminal defense, with extensive experience in DUI and felony criminal defense. He has negotiated thousands of DUI and criminal defense cases to positive outcomes for his clients, and defended dozens in courtroom trials.
James' local career began in 1995 working for the Department of Assigned Counsel (DAC) in Tacoma, WA. In 1997 he moved to the Associated Counsel for the Accused (ACA) in King County. At ACA he was quickly promoted to the felony unit, where he negotiated and tried cases before the King County Superior Court. James was undefeated in felony trial during his two year rotation although it required that he seek redress in the Court of Appeals. Serving as a public defender through 2004, he worked mainly on DUI and Domestic Violence cases.
James was selected to serve as the lead counsel in King County District Court for the Mental Health Court, which serves as a model for mental health courts in this and other states, where he was awarded for his compassionate work with mentally-ill criminal defendants. In 2004, James returned to handling Tacoma criminal defense and Pierce County criminal defense cases. James worked a year and a half at a private criminal defense firm working almost exclusively in DUI defense, including DOL hearings. James has also worked in immigration law and is familiar with immigration consequences for criminal convictions and how to work around those consequences.
James has volunteered his legal expertise in immigration matters and at the Tacoma nonprofit organization Centro Latino. He coaches youth basketball and soccer on Vashon where he resides with his two sons.
Derek brings more than 15 years of criminal law experience to the Tacoma attorney team of Smith and White. His work as a prosecutor, judge, and defense attorney provide him valuable insight into Washington criminal defense law.
Derek tried hundreds of criminal defense cases, including in the state Court of Appeals and Washington State Supreme Court, as a prosecutor with the cities of Seattle and Kent. He's worked on or negotiated more than 15,000 trial experience, Derek has taken more than 150 jury trials to a verdict.
Derek served as the head of the domestic violence unit for the City of Kent and supervised the misdemeanor unit before he left to go to Seattle. In Seattle he served in the DUI and misdemeanor trial unit. There he prosecuted notorious strip club owner and alleged mob boss Frank Colacurcio for sexual assault on a waitress in his strip club and twice convicted him. After serving in the trial unit, Derek became the vice and narcotics liaison for the Seattle City Attorney's Office and received the Seattle Police Department Chief's Award for his role in Operation Sobering Thought. He has also presided over thousands of cases as a judge pro tem in Federal Way, Pacific and Des Moines.
He graduated with honors from Seattle University School of Law in 1996.
Derek volunteers his time to local nonprofits including serving as president of the Tacoma Art Museum Activities Council in 2010 for the Tacoma Art Museum's 75th Anniversary Gala. He is the current vice president of St. Mark's Lutheran by the Narrows church council.
Derek is a life member of the NRA, a former PADI scuba instructor, and an avid reader. He publishes a very tongue in cheek blog about the law here. He lives in Tacoma with his family.
What distinguishes your law firm from others?
If you have been arrested and charged with drunk driving, you want an experienced and compassionate lawyer to protect your constitutional rights. The consequences of a conviction for drinking and driving can be severe. In addition to huge fines, you could face jail time as well as the long-term loss of your driving privileges. You could also incur significant increases in your insurance premiums, and put your employment at risk.
At The Law Offices of Smith and White, PLLC, we bring more than 30 years of experience to people who face prosecution for driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated. We have a comprehensive knowledge of the law and process, including the strategies available for seeking the restoration of your driver's license. We built our practice on a commitment to personal service, taking the time to learn the details of your case, so that we can formulate the strategy that will most effectively meet your specific needs.
contact our office by e-mail or call our office in Tacoma, Washington, at 253-666-8590 for a private consultation.
Our DUI/DWI Defense Practice
We offer comprehensive counsel regarding all matters related to a DUI/DWI charge, from the administrative proceeding to determine the status of your driving privileges, to the criminal hearing to establish guilt or innocence and set penalties. We will conduct a thorough investigation of the facts and circumstances of your case, looking closely at whether there was probable cause for police to make the traffic stop, and whether you were advised of your Miranda rights if taken into custody. We will interview witnesses and examine police reports to verify that field sobriety and blood alcohol tests were correctly administered.
It's important to note that the stories and cases reported on this blog are not meant to implicitly or explicitly depict cases actively handled by our firm. In most cases, the blog will simply be covering cases similar to those we are interested in handling.
Contact The Law Offices of Smith and White, PLLC
For a private consultation, contact our law firm online or call our office at 253-666-8590.
Derek Smith
- Bar Number: Washington State Bar
Washington , 1996
- University of California, Davis
BA , 1991
Davis, CA
- Seattle University School of Law
JD , 1996
Tacoma, WA
Graduated with honors
James White
- University of California, Berkeley
BA , 1991
Berkeley, CA
- Seattle University School of Law
JD , 1996
Tacoma, WA
Articles Written
Does a Domestic Violence Victim "Press Charges" Against a Defendant?
Created On: 08/04/2011
Often when victims of or defendants accused of domestic violence encounter police and prosecutors for the first time they are confronted with this fact, in Washington the prosecutor and not the victim...