The lawyer you choose right now is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.
Getting the best possible DWI defense lawyer for your case must be priority #1. Your case is one of many, but your case is extremely personal and will affect you for life.
You need a fighter who knows DWI defense in every respect, not just a great criminal defense lawyer. You can bet the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s office will take your DWI seriously. You need a lawyer just as serious as the prosecution.
Attorney Phillip W. Goff is relentless intense, deeply experienced, and highly trained to defend you against DWI. He is passionately committed to defending your future. The best decision you can make is to hire DWI defense attorney Phillip W. Goff.
DWI defense is extremely demanding on lawyers. Few lawyers fully commit to doing it right. Phillip W. Goff is absolutely committed to DWI defense.
Some “good” lawyers can actually make your DWI situation worse. Many lawyers who take on clients with DWI charges treat DWI defense like it’s just another criminal case. It’s not.
Even misdemeanor DWI cases demand far more legal and scientific expertise than most felony criminal cases. Successfully defending a person against a DWI charge requires understanding much more than law alone. Command of DWI-specific knowledge is essential.
Most DWI cases involve expert testimony. Knowing how to handle expert witnesses can be the difference between winning and losing. Asking the right questions and knowing the answers is essential. Not knowing the answers or asking the wrong questions can kill your chances. You must have an attorney who has great familiarity with the experts’ knowledge, training, and testimony. Phillip W. Goff has exactly those qualifications.
A DWI defense lawyer must possess a working knowledge of science and specialized training specific to DWI defense to get it right. If you want a great outcome, pick a real DWI defense lawyer who has been battling cops and so-called scientists in DWI defense trenches for a long time.
Attorney Phillip W. Goff has been successfully defending people like you for decades. Whether your case needs a tooth-and-nail jury trial or a delicate negotiation without having to go to trial, he’s done it well. His passion to fight and win for his clients continues to grow. His law practice is focused on DWI defense like no other, and he greatly enjoys helping people. He constantly wants to learn more about DWI defense.
Phillip W. Goff has been a proud member of the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD) since 2001. He is one of the first DWI defense attorneys in the United States to complete NCDD's “Serious Science, Blood Analysis and Trial Advocacy” curriculum, which trains trial lawyers to understand how laboratories and blood testing work. He is the only Hidalgo County attorney who has completed this curriculum, and only 20 dedicated DWI attorneys in Texas have done so.
In 2023, he earned the Forensic “Lawyer-Scientist” designation from the American Chemistry Society – Chemistry and Law Division . Only 100 attorneys nationwide have earned this designation. Only two other attorneys south of San Antonio have earned this designation.
Both of those elite trainings require extensive travel for hands on experience in labs, can take years to complete, and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Only two other attorneys in Texas have graduated from both the “Serious Science” and Forensic “Lawyer-Scientist” curricula. Mr. Goff is the only attorney outside of Houston who has completed both.
All of Phillip W. Goff's efforts are focused on one goal: to provide you the best possible defense against your DWI charge. He constantly stays on the forefront of DWI defense law, eagerly learning the latest information to help his clients.
Fellow lawyers regularly call him to consult on their DWI cases, and with good reason.
Every day, Phillip W. Goff tracks developments in DWI defense throughout the country. His growing library includes an extensive collection of police manuals and other books and resources to help win your DWI case. Many of these specialized publications are used to confront and cross-examine witnesses who regularly testify for the state in DWI cases. He frequently attends the very best legal training specific to DWI defense lawyers.
Phillip W. Goff can readily identify errors cops make with so-called “field sobriety” tests. He has a copy of every training manual on the topic ever published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. His training and familiarity with these manuals enable him to frequently demonstrate the falsity of cops’ testimony claiming they conducted testing “by the book.” He even graduated from the very same National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) course your arresting officer took, so he won’t be fooled by their testimony and can expose it for what it is.
His understanding of breath testing is based upon decades of study and familiarity. He knows the cops’ regulations, the special rules and laws associated with the breath test machine, and how the CMI Intoxilyzer 9000 works in principle and in practice. (It’s not a Breathalyzer. That’s a brand of device simply not used in Texas.)
Blood testing is more important now than ever. Phillip W. Goff knows how your blood sample was supposed to be collected from your arm, stored, and transported to the lab. He knows how your blood sample was supposed to be treated when it arrived at the lab. He has prepared samples in labs just like the lab’s expert witness at your trial. He’s performed maintenance on the same type of machine the lab used to analyze your blood. He even knows how the machine measuring your blood alcohol level works.
DWI cases have special consequences other charges don’t. Some have life-long effects. From the day of arrest to the rest of your life after a conviction, DWIs must be handled by a lawyer who has a well-rounded grasp of the entire situation.
Driver license suspensions from DWI convictions are common knowledge, but few know how extensive driver license consequences are. Some suspensions may be avoided, while some are mandatory. Lengths of suspensions depend on many factors. Commercial driver license (CDL) holders face the very real possibility of literally being out of that job forever. Your lawyer absolutely must know what makes some suspensions different than others. One of the most important things DWI defense lawyers must do well is Administrative License Revocations hearings.
Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearings are a huge challenge and a potentially great opportunity. ALRs are available in almost every DWI case, and the rules for even requesting a hearing are strict. Few lawyers handle ALR hearings well; some lawyers don’t understand ALR hearings at all. Phillip W. Goff has an excellent grasp of ALR hearings and has a track record of winning and using the hearings to help defend against the criminal case.
Bond conditions like alcohol interlock devices for DWI are intense. Eligibility for Occupational Driver Licenses can mean the difference between keeping and losing a job. Surcharge payments of $3,000.00 to $6,000.00 and related license revocation due to nonpayment are a shock to many lawyers. Potential relief from such fees is possible, but not if your lawyer doesn’t know whether you qualify or how to apply for the break.
Some people facing DWI charges have permanent professional consequences. Commercial drivers sometimes face immediate devastation for obvious reasons. Pilots, doctors, teachers, and many other professionals may see their careers hang in the balance over a DWI case.
Don’t ruin your future by hiring the wrong lawyer. Phillip W. Goff's command of topics specific to DWI sets him apart from other lawyers. Go ahead. Look at the other lawyers in Hidalgo County. You owe it to yourself to hire DWI defense attorney Phillip W. Goff.
The odds are stacked against you. Now is NOT the time to take a chance with an unproven lawyer. You need someone truly experienced and successful defending you in your DWI case.
Your decision can be the difference between a terrible outcome or a great one. Phillip W. Goff’s DWI defense ability and knowledge is vast. Whatever your DWI case involves, he is capable of fighting for you like few lawyers can imagine.