By Attorney Charles E. Liken Jr., former Colorado Deputy District Attorney. Some licenses can't take the hit an ordinary driver's can. If you drive for a living, aren't 21, or hold a professional license, your DUI case has a second front — and it needs defending too.
Charles E. Liken Jr., Esq. — On the Legal Front Lines · Former Government Investigator, Denver Human Services · Licensed Colorado Attorney · 20+ Years in Private Practice · Former Colorado Deputy District Attorney · Colorado Court-Appointed Child and Family Investigator
For these clients, the criminal penalty is often the smaller problem. The strategy has to be built around what you actually can't afford to lose.
A first DUI conviction — or a test refusal — disqualifies a commercial driver for one year under federal rule 49 C.F.R. § 383.51 and Colorado's CDL statutes, even if the arrest happened off-duty in your personal vehicle. No work permits soften a CDL disqualification.
Where LLF comes in: For CDL clients the entire case is charge selection: outcomes that protect the CDL get hunted relentlessly, because the license is the livelihood.
Drivers under 21 face UDD at just 0.02–0.05 BAC (§ 42-4-1301(2)(d), C.R.S.) — a traffic infraction, with a separate DMV revocation possible at a BAC above 0.02 (§ 42-2-126(2)(d), (3)(b), C.R.S.) — plus ordinary DUI/DWAI exposure above those levels, and MIP-adjacent fallout.
Where LLF comes in: We defend young clients with the long view: record-clearing eligibility, college and scholarship reporting, and keeping one bad night off every future application.
Many Colorado professional boards require disclosure of arrests or convictions on strict timelines — and discipline for the conviction, the underlying conduct, or the failure to report. The wrong plea can trigger the worst board outcome.
Where LLF comes in: We coordinate criminal strategy with licensing counsel and time pleas around reporting realities — the conviction label matters as much as the sentence.
A single misdemeanor DUI is rarely deportable by itself, but drug-involved driving, multiple offenses, and felony DUI raise real immigration, firearm-rights, and clearance consequences that must be priced into every plea decision.
Where LLF comes in: No plea gets our blessing until its collateral map is drawn — in writing, before you sign.
FAA reporting rules, command notification, and federal employment policies all have their own clocks and their own definitions. Silence and delay are themselves violations in several of these systems.
Where LLF comes in: We identify every parallel reporting obligation in week one, so compliance happens on schedule and on your terms.
Ready when you are — talk it through with Attorney Liken.
Start here: a no-charge 20-minute phone call directly with Attorney Liken.
Yes — a first DUI conviction or refusal generally brings a one-year CDL disqualification under 49 C.F.R. § 383.51, regardless of what vehicle you were driving.
Underage Drinking and Driving (UDD) is a traffic infraction at a BAC of 0.02–0.05 for a driver under 21 (§ 42-4-1301(2)(d), C.R.S.). Separately, the DMV can revoke an under-21 license at a BAC above 0.02 (§ 42-2-126(2)(d), (3)(b), C.R.S.) on a zero-tolerance theory, even without impairment-level alcohol.
It depends on the board and the stage (arrest vs. conviction) — several Colorado boards have strict reporting windows, and failing to report is its own violation. Get specific advice immediately.
A single simple DUI usually doesn't by itself, but drug-related, multiple, or felony DUIs can have serious immigration consequences — every plea should be screened first.
A resolution that looks like a win for an ordinary driver can be a catastrophe for a CDL holder or a licensed nurse. The plea's label, its factual basis, and even its timing get chosen against your specific collateral landscape — that's the discipline.
This is prosecutorial thinking in reverse: as a former Deputy District Attorney, Attorney Liken saw plea offers from the state's side. Knowing what the state may trade — and what your licenses can survive — is central to the plan.
CDL, RN, Series 7, TSA PreCheck, FFL, visa status — bring the full list to the first call. The defense gets built around it.
Before you talk to anyone — DA, DMV, insurance — get twenty minutes with the prosecutor turned defender. Don't let the DMV hearing-request deadline, generally seven days from your notice of revocation, pass.
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