DUI Defense
Tennessee holds drivers under 21 to a stricter standard than everyone else on the road: for them, the limit is a blood alcohol concentration of .02% — a level a single drink can produce — under Tennessee’s underage driving while impaired law. For a college student at the University of Memphis, Rhodes, or CBU, or a high schooler with a bright future, how the charge is handled can shape scholarships, school discipline, and a record that follows them into their first career. Brooks Law Firm defends young drivers and works with their families throughout the process. Call (901) 324-5000.
Underage DWI vs. Adult DUI in Tennessee
Drivers aged 18 to 20 with a BAC of .02% or higher face underage driving while impaired — a Class A misdemeanor carrying license revocation for one year, a fine, and community service. But an under-21 driver at .08% or above can be charged with the full adult DUI, with all its penalties and its lifetime, never-expungeable conviction. Which charge is brought, and which it becomes, is often where the case is really decided — and it is exactly where experienced counsel matters. Drivers under 18 are handled through the juvenile system, which has its own procedures and its own opportunities to protect the record.
What a Young Driver’s Defense Looks Like
Every defense in an adult case applies here: the lawfulness of the stop, the field sobriety testing, and the breath or blood evidence — which matters even more at .02%, where the margin of error on a breath machine is a meaningful share of the reading itself. Beyond the courtroom, we help families think about the whole picture: the school’s conduct process, driver’s license consequences, and resolutions that give a young person a path to a clean record where the law allows one. Patrick Brooks is a member of the National College for DUI Defense and the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and treats every young client the way we would want our own family treated.
If your son or daughter has been charged with underage DUI or DWI in Memphis, Shelby County, or a surrounding county, call Brooks Law Firm at (901) 324-5000 before anyone talks to the school or the court. See also: Memphis DUI defense, first DUI in Memphis, and alcohol offenses involving minors.