Practice Areas

Criminal Defense and Traffic Law in Lake County, Illinois

Reviewed by Alan E. Jones, an Illinois attorney who handles DUI defense, driver’s license reinstatement, and criminal defense matters in Lake County. Last updated July 22, 2026.

Alan E. Jones has practiced exclusively in Lake County, Illinois courts since 1989, handling traffic and criminal matters in the same courthouse throughout. As a Lake County criminal defense and traffic attorney, I structure my practice around the reality that most people who call me are facing more than one issue at the same time, and I handle every one of those matters personally rather than passing them to an associate. If you want the background on how this office is set up before getting into the specifics, my firm overview covers it, and the sections below explain each practice area in turn.

How Do These Four Practice Areas Connect?

The four areas this firm handles share a courthouse and, often, a client. A traffic stop can lead to a DUI charge, a DUI conviction can trigger a license revocation, and a revocation is generally lifted only after a hearing before the Secretary of State. Because the same office handles all of it, a single problem does not have to be split among several attorneys who do not talk to one another.

That sequence also explains why timing matters so much across these cases. The criminal charge and the driving consequence run on separate tracks with separate deadlines, and a decision made to resolve one quickly can close off options on the other. A plea that looks reasonable in the courtroom can trigger a revocation that takes years to undo at the Secretary of State.

What DUI Charges Does Alan Jones Defend in Lake County?

Alan E. Jones, P.C. defends drivers charged with DUI in Lake County under 625 ILCS 5/11-501, from a first-offense Class A misdemeanor through felony aggravated DUI. A DUI arrest in Illinois sets two separate cases in motion at once, the criminal charge in the 19th Judicial Circuit Court and a civil statutory summary suspension of the driver’s license that begins automatically.

Because those two cases run on different tracks and different deadlines, the early days after an arrest matter. I handle both sides together, challenging the stop and the testing on the criminal side while protecting your driving privileges on the administrative side. You can read the full detail on my Lake County DUI defense page, which covers first offenses, repeat offenses, breath-test refusals, and the ignition interlock requirements that often follow.

How Do You Reinstate an Illinois Driver’s License?

Illinois driver’s license reinstatement runs through a formal or informal hearing before the Secretary of State, not through the criminal court, and a revocation has no automatic end date. Alan E. Jones has represented drivers in these Secretary of State hearings since 1989, including drivers who have since moved out of Illinois but still hold an Illinois revocation on their record.

A suspension and a revocation are different legal acts, which is why they end differently. A suspension withdraws a privilege the driver still holds, so it lapses on its own once the term runs and any required reinstatement fee is paid. A revocation terminates the privilege outright, so nothing remains to expire and nothing returns by the passage of time. The driver must apply to the Secretary of State and attend a hearing before privileges can be restored. Under 625 ILCS 5/6-208, how soon a driver may even apply lengthens with each revoking conviction, and a fourth DUI conviction results in a lifetime revocation under which full reinstatement may never be sought.

Reinstatement is the area my practice is built around, and out-of-state cases are a large part of it. An Illinois revocation can follow you to other states through the national driver database, so a driver in another state often cannot get a new license there until the Illinois matter is resolved. Start with the Illinois driver’s license reinstatement overview, which is the hub for the full process, or work through whether you are eligible for reinstatement, which is the first question a hearing officer asks.

What Happens if You Drive on a Suspended Illinois License?

A traffic ticket in Illinois can carry more weight than the fine printed on it, because points, insurance consequences, and the risk of a suspension can follow a conviction. Alan E. Jones, P.C. defends the full range of traffic matters in the 19th Judicial Circuit, from speeding and moving violations to the commercial driving citations that can threaten a trucker’s livelihood.

Driving on a suspended or revoked license under 625 ILCS 5/6-303 is charged as a criminal offense in Illinois rather than as an ordinary traffic ticket. I take these cases seriously for that reason. My Lake County traffic defense page covers moving violations and commercial driving issues, and my page on why a misdemeanor speeding ticket is worth fighting explains when a plea of guilty by mail is the costliest option.

What Criminal Charges Are Filed in Lake County?

Criminal charges in Illinois are graded as misdemeanors or felonies under the Criminal Code of 2012, 720 ILCS 5, and the class of the charge decides whether a person faces county jail or state prison. Alan E. Jones, P.C. defends both, with a case range in Lake County that runs from misdemeanor citations through murder defense, including two Illinois death penalty cases tried before Illinois abolished capital punishment in 2011, in neither of which a death sentence was imposed.

Sentencing ranges are fixed by statute in the Unified Code of Corrections, with the general felony provisions at 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-50. The statute sets a Class A misdemeanor at less than one year in county jail, which works out to a practical maximum of 364 days, with a fine of up to $2,500. Felonies run from Class 4, at one to three years in prison, up to Class X, at six to 30 years with no probation available. Traffic and DUI matters draw on the same sentencing structure once a charge crosses into misdemeanor or felony territory, which is why the grade of the charge is the first thing worth testing in any of these four areas.

Whatever the charge, my approach is the same. I test the State’s evidence, protect your constitutional rights, and give you a straight answer about where the case stands. My Lake County criminal defense page covers drug, theft, weapons, and domestic battery charges, and my felony defense page addresses the most serious charges.

What Evidence Do These Cases Turn On?

Each of these four areas is decided by a different record. A criminal case turns on the charging instrument and the discovery it triggers, including police reports, squad and body-camera video, forensic testing, and the chain of custody that governs whether physical evidence is admissible at all.

A DUI case turns on the legal basis for the stop, how the field-sobriety tests were administered, and the breath instrument’s calibration and maintenance records. A traffic case turns on the citation and its charge tier, and on the reliability of the enforcement method used, whether that is radar, lidar, pacing, or an officer’s own observation. A Secretary of State reinstatement hearing turns on something different again, because the burden there sits on the driver rather than the State: the alcohol and drug evaluation and its risk classification, documented completion of any recommended treatment, a record of abstinence where the case requires one, and the driver’s own testimony. Constitutional suppression issues under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments can remove evidence from a criminal or DUI case entirely, and they have no equivalent in an administrative hearing.

Why Work Directly with Alan Jones

Every client of this firm works with Alan Jones himself. As a solo practitioner, I do not hand cases to associates or paralegals, which means the attorney who reviews your file is the attorney who appears with you in the 19th Judicial Circuit Court. After more than 35 years practicing only in Lake County, I know the judges, the prosecutors, and the local procedure, and I stay current on the traffic and licensing law that touches most of my cases.

My fees are flat for most cases, so you know the full cost before any work begins, and consultations are free and available any time of day.

What to Do Before You Call About Any of These Cases

Find your paperwork first. For a criminal or traffic matter that means the citation or charging document and the notice of your next court date; for a licensing problem it means your Illinois driving abstract, which the Secretary of State issues and which controls what any hearing officer will see.

Write down the dates while they are still fresh, including when you were stopped or arrested, when you were released, and any deadline printed on a document you were handed. If a DUI arrest is involved, note the arrest date specifically, because the statutory summary suspension runs from it on a clock that is separate from the criminal case. Do not plead guilty by mail to a traffic citation before you know whether the offense is one that carries a suspension. Do not drive while a suspension or revocation is in effect, since driving on a suspended or revoked license is a criminal charge in its own right. If you have moved out of Illinois, request your home-state driving record as well, so both records can be compared before anything is filed.

Frequently Asked Questions About Working with Alan E. Jones, P.C.

What Types of Cases Does Alan E. Jones, P.C. Handle?

Alan E. Jones, P.C. focuses on four connected areas of Illinois law in Lake County: DUI defense, driver’s license reinstatement, traffic violations, and criminal defense. The practice ranges from misdemeanor tickets through serious felonies, all handled personally by Alan Jones in the 19th Judicial Circuit. The firm does not take civil, personal injury, family, or estate matters.

Does Alan Jones Help Drivers Who Live Outside Illinois?

Yes. Illinois driver’s license reinstatement services are available to drivers located anywhere in the United States, since an Illinois revocation can follow a person through the national driver database. Wisconsin and Indiana drivers make up a large share of these out-of-state reinstatement cases, and I handle much of that work by phone and mail so an out-of-state driver rarely needs to travel for every step.

Which Courts Does Alan E. Jones, P.C. Appear In?

Lake County and the 19th Judicial Circuit are the home venue, and most matters are heard at the 19th Judicial Circuit Court at 18 N. County Street in Waukegan. Cook County is a secondary service area. Driver’s license matters are different, because they run through the Illinois Secretary of State rather than through any court.

How Much Does Alan E. Jones, P.C. Charge?

The firm handles most cases on a flat fee, so the full cost is known before any work begins. All major credit cards are accepted, consultations are free, and the office is reachable 24 hours a day. Se Habla Español. Knowing the cost up front lets you make a clear decision about how to move forward.

Talk to a Lake County Criminal Defense and Traffic Attorney

Whether you are facing a DUI, a traffic charge, a criminal case, or a license revocation you need undone, the sooner you understand your options, the better your position. I have defended clients in Waukegan and throughout the 19th Judicial Circuit for more than 35 years, and I handle every case personally from the first call to the last court date. Call (847) 336-3900 or contact my Waukegan office online to schedule a free consultation, available 24/7. Se Habla Español.