Southern Illinois Driver’s License Reinstatement Lawyers
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Located at: 1015 Broadway, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, One Block from the Secretary of State Administrative Building
Southern Illinois DUI Driver’s License Attorneys
Having a driver’s license is something most people take for granted, and it’s not until you lose it that you realize how important it truly is. Not having a driver’s license can become a huge burden. Being unable to get to work, pick up your kids, or even do something as simple as going to the grocery store. We understand the hardship that comes from not having a license. Whether your license has been revoked, suspended, or canceled by the Illinois Secretary of State, our experienced attorneys are here to help you get back on the road.
Illinois Secretary of State Administrative Hearings
A person who is seeking to have their driving privileges reinstated after a suspension or revocation must apply for either an informal or formal hearing before the Secretary of State. Winning one of these hearings is difficult, especially without an experienced DUI lawyer on your side. Secretary of State hearings are complex administrative hearings governed by both Illinois State law and the Illinois Administrative Code, and having a driver’s license reinstatement attorney on your side can greatly increase your chances of winning and getting driving relief. Our driver’s license lawyers can help you with both types of administrative hearings.
Illinois Formal Hearings
Formal Hearings are required for individuals who have had their license revoked due to a felony driving offense or multiple DUIs. A formal hearing request must be made in writing through the mail. A hearing officer presides over the formal hearing where sworn testimony is taken and documented evidence including treatment and counseling history is reviewed. Other evidence that will likely be presented at the formal hearing includes your driving abstract containing your entire driving history, any arrest or accident reports, and any prior hearing records. There are only four locations in Illinois where these hearings take place:
Our driver’s license reinstatement attorneys represent clients in formal reinstatement hearings at the Mt. Vernon, Illinois location. Our office is conveniently located one block away from the Secretary of State Administrative Hearings building. Our lawyers will prepare you for the hearing itself, go over your treatment history, and ensure there are no gaps or inconsistencies that could prevent you from getting your license back. Because license suspensions and revocations frequently stem from the use of drugs or alcohol, some of the most important things to present at your formal hearing include any drug and alcohol evaluation, treatment paperwork, and letters from friends and family.
The Secretary of State has up to 90 days after a formal hearing to render a decision on whether your request to reinstate your license is granted or denied. If you are denied, you are eligible for a new hearing 90 days after the previous hearing.
Informal Hearings at DMV Facilities
Informal hearings are required for drivers who have lost their driver’s license for driving offenses involving a single DUI. These hearings are done by an informal hearing officer at certain DMV facilities across the State of Illinois. These hearings are done on a walk-in basis. However, drivers with suspended or revoked licenses due to death, serious personal injury, or with multiple suspensions or revocations are not eligible for informal hearings.
Having an Illinois driver’s license reinstatement attorney on your side can help you get driving relief at informal hearings, whether that be full reinstatement of driving privileges or helping you get a Restricted Driving Permit (RDP).
Informal Hearings are only available at approved locations with an Informal Hearing Officer. The Illinois Secretary of State maintains a list of every location where Informal Hearings may be held. While it is not necessary that you hire an attorney for your Informal Hearing, doing so significantly increases the chances of having your license reinstated.
Southern Illinois Secretary of State Informal Hearing Officer Locations
Not every Illinois Secretary of State DMV Facility holds informal hearings for driver’s license reinstatements. For those in Southern Illinois, here’s a list of Illinois Secretary of State Informal Hearing Officer locations.
Belleville Illinois Secretary of State Facility
400 W. Main St.
Belleville, IL 62220
618-236-8778
Carbondale Illinois Secretary of State Facility
2516 W. Murphysboro Rd.
Carbondale, IL 62901
618-457-8206
Centralia Illinois Secretary of State Facility
418 S. Poplar St.
Centralia, IL 62801
618-352-6054
Edwardsville Illinois Secretary of State Facility
1502A Troy Rd.
Edwardsville, IL 62025
618-656-1457
Mt. Vernon Illinois Secretary of State Facility
320 E. Main St.
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864
618-244-1449
Not from Southern Illinois? For a complete list of all Illinois Informal Hearing Officer Locations Click Here!
We Proudly Serve Clients in Secretary of State Administrative Hearings Across Southern Illinois
We help to restore driving privileges for clients across Southern Illinois. While we represent clients from anywhere in Illinois and even out-of-state, some of the most common Southern Illinois counties we serve are:
Alexander County | Bond County |
Clark County | Clay County |
Clinton County | Coles County |
Cumberland County | Crawford County |
Edwards County | Effingham County |
Fayette County | Franklin County |
Gallatin County | Hamilton County |
Hardin County | Jackson County |
Jasper County | Jefferson County |
Johnson County | Lawrence County |
Madison County | Marion County |
Massac County | Monroe County |
Perry County | Pope County |
Pulaski County | Randolph County |
Richland County | Saline County |
Shelby County | St. Clair County |
Union County | Wabash County |
Washington County | Wayne County |
White County | Williamson County |
What if I move or am outside of Illinois?
Removing your Illinois driver’s license revocation from your record may be particularly important when attempting to apply for a driver’s license in your new state of residence. You will be unable to obtain a driver’s license in your new state once Illinois has reported your revocation to other States. Hearings for individuals outside of Illinois may be in-person or an out-of-state packet may be completed. Olson & Reeves can help advise you on which method is most likely to lead to success given your particular circumstances. Even if you do not plan on returning to Illinois, you must go through the hearing process to remove the revocation from your record. If you received a lifetime revocation in Illinois, out-of-state residents may apply for a hearing after a period of 10 years.
How much does it cost to hire you to be my Illinois Driver’s License Restoration Lawyer?
At Olson & Reeves we charge flat fees to represent clients at reinstatement hearings. The fee itself varies slightly depending on whether or not it’s an informal or formal hearing and the complexity of each individual case. We do always offer a free initial consultation to evaluate your reinstatement.
Still Not Sure? See What Our Former Clients Say!
- Janica S. – Olson & Reeves are fantastic! Their staff is super friendly and also very responsive!! As far as the services provided by Josh (he’s a character lol) but a great one easy to work with and made sure to try to get the best sentence! Highly recommend this law firm for ANY DUI cases in Southern IL!!!
- Mindy E. – This was the best experience dealing with Mr. Reeves during my DUI case. Very responsive and kept me in the loop. I would highly recommend him to anyone.
- Brad R. – Josh Reeves represented me on my dui case. He is down to earth and worked with me on his fees. He was up front about the challenge of my case and told me the best and worst case senecio. Mr Reeves got me the best outcome. He saved my cdl and livelihood. I highly recommend him if you find yourself needing a dui lawyer.
- Steven L. – Contacted Olson & Reeves about one to two days after getting a DUI ticket and they were very quick to respond and cut to the chase about what could and couldn’t be done. Granted it was my first and I really didn’t know what needed to be done or expect but I dealt with Reeves and he managed to get me a great deal. Would give a 6/5 star.
- Mary H. – I was directed to Mr Reeves by way of a referral and I am so glad I was. From the first meeting to the last he was knowledgeable, professional, quick witted and knew exactly how he wanted to proceed given any instance that could arise. I pray I won’t ever need to call him in a professional manner in the future but if I ever need a lawyer I already have his number.
- Brandon S. – Josh Reeves was really helpful with my DUI case. Got me a very fair deal. I recommend that guy to anyone. It was a very smooth process with him.
- Gabriela V. – Very, very, very satisfied, best Attorney and staff ever. Josh and staff are very knowledgeably and i will recommend to other people.
- Chad D. – Best results that I ever had from a attorney! Highly Recommend!
- Nancy T. – Josh Reeves went above and beyond to get me a fair outcome on my traffic ticket case. He took the time to explain everything and saved me from having to take off of work for the day for court. I had called different attorneys prior and ended up selecting Josh. He was thorough in explaining everything to me from start to finish. Go with the best, call him and his firm first if you want the best outcome possible. I’d use them again in a heartbeat!!
Illinois DUI & Driver’s License Reinstatement FAQ
What is the difference between a Suspension and a Revocation?
A suspension results in the temporary loss of driving privileges for a specified amount of time. A suspended license is automatically reinstated upon payment of the reinstatement fee. A revoked license is not for a specific amount of time and can only be reinstated after a successful hearing before the Secretary of State. Suspensions are generally the result of moving violations or other nonviolent traffic offenses. Whereas revocations are the result of a DUI conviction or other serious traffic offense.
What is an Illinois Statutory Summary Suspension?
A Statutory Summary Suspension is an automatic suspension or revocation of driving privileges as the result of a driver refusing a breathalyzer or other chemical testing.
What documents do I need for a Formal Hearing?
An experienced reinstatement attorney can advise you on every document needed for a formal reinstatement hearing. However, the most important document every individual applying for reinstatement will need is a completed drug and alcohol evaluation by a licensed provider.
What is the process for an Illinois Secretary of State Administrative Formal Hearing?
Each hearing differs slightly based on the particular circumstances. However, must hearings follow this general outline: 1) The hearing begins with the driver turning over any documentation he or she has, including evaluations and treatment documentation; 2) The driver answers questions from the hearing officer and/or his or her attorney, and 3) The hearing officer takes the matter under advisement prior to issuing a decision within the following 90 days.
What is a Restricted Driving Permit (RDP)?
An RDP allows a person to drive on a restricted basis according to his/her permit. Also known as an Illinois Hardship License, there are generally three situations in which the Illinois Secretary of State will require that you drive on a RDP/hardship license before being considered for full reinstatement of your driver’s license: 1) You are not eligible for full reinstatement; 2) You were revoked for DUI and are eligible for full reinstatement but have not previously held a RDP; or 3) You have been convicted of DUI on 2 or more occasions.
What fees are there for requesting an Illinois Secretary of State Formal Hearing?
When requesting a Formal Hearing, a non-refundable $50 filing fee in the form of a check, money order or credit card payable to the Secretary of State is required.
If my license is reinstated, are there any fees I must pay?
- Discretionary Suspension (Traffic Related Suspension) — $70 fee for each Suspension
- Failure to Appear in Court Suspension (Court Related Suspension) — $70 fee for each Suspension
- Family Responsibility (DHFS or Court Ordered Child Support Suspension) — $70 fee for each Suspension
- Field Sobriety Suspension — (First Offense) — $250 fee owed for each Suspension
- Field Sobriety Suspension — (Multiple Offense) — $500 fee owed for each subsequent Suspension
- Mandatory Insurance Conviction Driver’s License Suspension — $100 fee for each Suspension. Please note that this reinstatement fee is for your driver’s license suspension. You may also owe a mandatory insurance fee for your license plate suspension. You will be required to contact Vehicle Services to pay that fee. Please refer to your correspondence from Vehicle Services for instructions.
- Parking/Tollway/Automated Traffic Suspension (Municipality/Tollway Authority Violation Suspension) — $70 fee for each Suspension
- Revocations — $500 fee for each Revocation — Payments of this Reinstatement fee can only be processed if we have received a “reinstatement recommendation” from our Administrative Hearing Department and this office has received your SR22 Insurance certificate or out of state insurance waiver.
- Safety Responsibility (Uninsured Accident Administrative Suspension) — $70 fee for each Suspension
- Solicitation of Towing Suspension — $100 fee for each Suspension
- Statutory Summary Suspension — (DUI Related/Implied Consent First Offense) — $250 fee for the first Suspension
- Statutory Summary Suspension — (DUI Related Multiple Offenses) — $500 fee for each subsequent Suspension
- Unsatisfied Judgment (Uninsured Accident Court Ordered Suspension) — $70 fee for each Suspension
- Zero Tolerance Suspension — (Alcohol Related for Individuals under 21 years of age) — $70 fee for each Suspension
What cities and towns do you cover?
We represent clients from all over Illinois and even outside of Illinois at formal and informal hearings. Some of the more common Southern Illinois cities we represent clients from are:
Albion, IL | Anna, IL |
Belleville, IL | Benton, IL |
Bethalto, IL | Breese, IL |
Cairo, IL | Carbondale, IL |
Carlyle, IL | Carmi, IL |
Carterville, IL | Centralia, IL |
Charleston, IL | Chester, IL |
Columbia, IL | Du Quoin, IL |
East St. Louis, IL | Edwardsville, IL |
Effingham, IL | El Dorado, IL |
Fairfield, IL | Flora, IL |
Golconda, IL | Granite City, IL |
Greenville, IL | Harrisburg, IL |
Herrin, IL | Hillsboro, IL |
Jerseyville, IL | Lawrenceville, IL |
Marion, IL | Marshall, IL |
Mascoutah, IL | Mattoon, IL |
McLeansboro, IL | Metropolis, IL |
Mounds, IL | Mount Carmel, IL |
Mount Vernon, IL | Murphysboro, IL |
Nashville, IL | Newton, IL |
Olney, IL | O’Fallon, IL |
Pinckneyville, IL | Red Bud, IL |
Robinson, IL | Rosiclaire, IL |
Salem, IL | Shawneetown, IL |
Shelbyville, IL | Shiloh, IL |
Sparta, IL | Swansea, IL |
Vandalia, IL | Vienna, IL |
Waterloo, IL | West Frankfort, IL |
Illinois Driver’s License Reinstatement Information & Resources
- Statutory Summary Suspension & Revocation Information
- For More Information on the Formal Hearing Process
- Formal Hearing Request Document
- Non-Resident/Out-Of-State Petitioner Hearing Application
- List of Illinois Informal Hearing Officer Locations
- Illinois Informal Hearings Regions and Headquarters
- Restricted Driving Permit (RDP) Information
- Safety Responsibility Hearings (After an Accident)
- Illinois Secretary of State Formal Hearing Information
- Illinois Secretary of State Administrative Hearing Requirements
- Illinois Administrative Rules
- Non-Illinois Resident Driver’s License Reinstatement Information
Get Back on the Road! Our Southern Illinois DUI Attorneys are Here to Help!
Consultations and Case Evaluations are Always Free!
Call for a Free Consultation at (618) 316-7322 – Monday to Friday 8:30 am – 5 pm
E-Mail Us Today at olsonreeves@mtvernonlaw.com