A Chicago DUI lawyer should be retained within days of arrest, not weeks. The 46-day Statutory Summary Suspension deadline under 625 ILCS 5/11-501.1 begins running the day of arrest, and the Petition to Rescind must be filed within 90 days to preserve the right to a hearing. Waiting until the first court date to hire counsel forfeits investigation opportunities: squad video may be overwritten, body-cam footage may be purged under agency retention schedules, and witness memories fade. Early representation also allows counsel to communicate with the prosecutor before charging decisions harden, which sometimes prevents an aggravated felony charge from being filed. First appearances happen fast in Cook County, and showing up unrepresented locks in disadvantages that are hard to reverse.
