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Christopher H. Cessna
The Law Office of Christopher H. Cessna
5400 Ward Road, Bldg V, Suite 200
Arvada
CO 80002
1.800.NOT.DRUNK
Website(s):
Before becoming a Colorado DUI defense lawyer, Chris Cessna served as a law enforcement officer for ten years. During this time, he received formal training in conducting DUI investigations through the administration of standardized field sobriety testing and the operation of the Intoxilyzer 4011 and 5000, used by Colorado Police while investigating a DUI arrest.
During his law school tenure, Chris served as an intern deputy district attorney prosecuting traffic cases at trial, and was selected to research, write and submit an appellate brief to the Colorado Supreme Court for its deliberation and consideration on the admissibility of 'Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) evidence in DUI and drunk driving cases.'
After graduating from law school in 1999, Mr. Cessna was immediately hired as a full-time deputy district attorney prosecuting DUI cases and trying numerous jury trials involving complex scientific evidence such as breath, blood and other chemical tests as it relates to drinking and driving.
In 2002, Mr. Cessna founded a private law practice with a concentration on defending DUI / DWI arrests. Since that time, Chris� litigation skills and understanding of the complexities of drinking and driving offenses and penalties has resulted in obtaining dismissals of drinking and driving (DUI) charges for many of his clients.
DUI defense lawyer Chris Cessna focuses his practices in the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan, and Weld.
Why Should You Hire DUI Defense Attorney Chris Cessna?:
Few offenses in America�s criminal justice system (including murder trials) call for greater attorney expertise than cases involving driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Properly defending a DUI / DWI case is just as complex as defending any �DNA murder� case because DUI�s almost always involve scientific evidence (the chemical evidence obtained from you- such as breath or blood tests).
For that reason, Mr. Cessna is one of only two DUI attorneys in Colorado who owns his own Intoxilyzer 5000 (the machine used for your breath test). Mr. Cessna has also been state certified and formally trained to operate, maintain and repair the Intoxilyzer 5000. Such training and experience is vital to properly defending one of these complex DUI / DWI cases.
Colorado DUI defense attorney, Chris Cessna is also the only defense attorney in Colorado who is a NHTSA certified Instructor in the administration of the �Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs). These are the same tests or maneuvers which the officer asked you to perform along the side of the road.
In fact, Attorney Cessna is often asked and endorsed by other local DUI attorney�s to testify in court as an expert witness in the proper administration of the standardized field sobriety tests conducted by the arresting officer.
As stated above, the government�s most powerful evidence against you are the results of these two types of tests (the breath test and the roadside field sobriety tests). There is no other DUI / DWI attorney in the state of Colorado who has the training and experience to fight these tests on your behalf.
As a person recently charged with a DUI or DWAI, you should hire Chris Cessna as your attorney because he has the training and experience necessary to defend your DUI or DWAI case. Be sure to read about Chris� training, and experience in fighting DUI cases (below), then call 1.800.Not.Drunk.
DUI Related Training and Certifications:
Breath Alcohol Technician Training for Legal Professionals, Industrial Training & Design Ltd., Las Vegas, Nevada, October 9, 2006.
Criminal and Administrative Consequences for Commercial Driver�s, Colorado Department of Revenue, Denver, Colorado, September 26, 2006.
Mastering Scientific Evidence in DUI cases, Harvard Law School, July 18, 2006.
NHTSA / IACP Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus / Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Instructor School, Lapier & Associates, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 3, 2006.
Mastering Scientific Evidence in DUI cases (13th Annual) � National College of DUI Defense � Dallas, Texas, March 30, 2006.
Advanced Scientific Evidence DUI Seminar, Ohio Criminal Defense Bar, Columbus, Ohio
NHTSA / IACP Advanced Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus / Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Course � Walden, Platt & Assoc. � Atlanta, Georgia, December 2, 2005.
NHTSA / IACP Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus / Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Refresher Course � Walden, Platt & Assoc. � Atlanta, Georgia, December 2, 2005.
Strategies in Handling DUI and DWAI Trials in Colorado � Denver, Colorado
Under The Microscope � Beating DUIs with Science � National Assoc. of Criminal Defense Lawyers � Las Vegas, Nevada
Maintenance and Repair of the Intoxilyzer 5000 � C.E.S. Consulting � Palm Beach, Florida, June 24 � 25, 2005.
DUI Scientific Evidence Seminar, Colorado Bar Association, Denver, Colorado, May 2005.
NHTSA / IACP Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus / Standardized Field Sobriety Testing � Walden, Platt & Assoc. � San Antonio, Texas, May 12, 2005.
Mastering Scientific Evidence in DUI cases (12th Annual) � National College of DUI Defense � Dallas, Texas, April 28, 2005.
Advanced Colorado DUI Litigation � Denver, Colorado
Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus / NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Testing� Arizona Highway Patrol, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, May 18, 1993.
Intoxilyzer 4011 Operator�s Course � Arizona Highway Patrol, Tucson, Arizona, November 2, 1994.
Intoxilyzer 5000 Operator�s Course � Arizona Highway Patrol, Tucson, Arizona, November 2, 1994.
Drug Recognition Screening � Arizona Highway Patrol
Advanced Narcotics Investigations � DEA
Basic Standardized Field Sobriety Testing at the following police academies:
United States Air Force Police Academy, December 19, 1985.
Charlotte (North Carolina) Police Academy, March 22, 1988.
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, October 29, 1992.
Received over 2,000 hours of law enforcement and investigative training from 1987 � 1996.
Other Professional Information:
Certified Intoxilyzer 5000 Operator, U.S. Department of Transportation
Awarded Appreciation of Law Enforcement Service Plaque from the First Judicial District Office of the District Attorney;
Guest Law School Lecturer � University of Denver College of Law, (Cross-exam techniques), Denver, Colorado
Guest Legal Instructor � Annual Federal Agent�s Legal Training and Refresher Update Seminar (DUI and Constitutional Law Update), St. Louis, Missouri
Police Academy Instructor and College Adjunct Faculty Instructor of Police Recruits in Search & Seizure. Legal Liability, and Constitutional Law at multiple Colorado police academies
Selected to research, write and submit an appellate brief to the Colorado Supreme Court for its deliberation on the admissibility of �Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus evidence in DUI cases�
Recognized agency-wide by the United States Department of the Interior for six successful felony investigations/prosecutions.
Received award from the United States Department of the Interior for the capture of armed felons.
Received highest performance evaluation possible for a United States Department of Interior law enforcement agent.
Awarded the Honor Graduate medal, United States Air Force.
Honorable Discharge, United States Air Force.
Recognized by the United States Court of Appeals in United States v. Albers, 136 F.3d 670 (9th Cir. 1998).
*counties represented: Larimer, Logan, Clear Creek, Douglas, Boulder, El Paso, Gilpin, Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Morgan, Weld, Denver, Broomfield,