The Washington State Patrol recently announced increased patrol emphasis to reduce High Occupancy (HOV) carpool lane violations on all Washington State highways. A RCW 46.61.165 (HOV Lane Violation) traffic infraction ticket is considered a “moving violation” under Washington law. As such, it goes on a driving record for 5 years and can raise driver car…

Under RCW 46.20.720(3), all Washington State drivers convicted of DUI or Physical Control (either alcohol or drug related) are required to install an Ignition Interlock Device(IID) for a specified period to legally drive again. However some convicted DUI drivers have medical conditions or physical disabilities preventing them from providing an adequate breath sample to physically…

Lynnwood DUI/criminal defense lawyer Paul Hanson is honored to be recently nominated for the “Best Defense Lawyer” category of The Seattle Times 2026 Best in the Pacific Northwest(The People’s Choice) annual best businesses competition. This is a great honor, given the thousands of defense attorneys throughout the Pacific Northwest area. Lynnwood Criminal Defense Lawyer Contact…

Effective January 1, 2026, the felony DUI / Physical Control offense “look back period” changed from 10 to 15 years. A driver with 3 or more prior DUI / Physical Control convictions within the last 15 years will now be charged with a Class B felony DUI/Physical Control offense instead of a gross misdemeanor DUI/Physical…

Lynnwood criminal defense attorney Paul Hanson is greatly honored to receive the National Academy of Criminal Defense Academy, Inc.’s 2026 Top 10 Attorney Award for Washington State. It is their highest honor. This prestigious NACDA annual award recognizes exceptional legal expertise, unwavering dedication, hard work, and countless hours invested in representing criminal defense criminal defense…

Getting car insurance companies to take car accident injury claims seriously is getting tougher and tougher. Here are some things you can do to avoid problems in the handling of your injury insurance claims. 1. Don’t delay in seeing a doctor or chiropractor after your car accident. The longer you wait in doing this, the…

Lynnwood attorney Paul Hanson is honored to be nominated for 2026 Lawyers of Distinction membership. Less than 1% of US attorneys are members of the national Lawyers of Distinction organization. Members are selected based upon a review and vetting process by the Selection Committee of the Lawyers of Distinction. Edmonds, WA DUI Lawyers Attorney Hanson…

RCW 9.41.040(2)(a)(i)(D) temporarily prohibits firearm possession in Washington State by any driver twice convicted of DUI / Physical Control within 7 years. This temporary 5 year firearms prohibition also applies to DUI related prior offenses of Vehicular Homicide, Vehicular Assault, and to Reckless Driving and Negligent Driving 1 if reduced from DUI charges. RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(i)-(xvii).…