ABOUT ME
Matt Keenan
Se habla español.
A criminal and school law attorney with over 24 years of experience, I have successfully represented clients all over the Chicago area. My practice includes DUI, felony, criminal, misdemeanor, homicide, internet crime, retail theft, traffic offenses, cyberstalking, drug crimes, weapons violations, domestic battery and juvenile crime. I also represent families involving school cases. My clients come from all over the Chicago area including Skokie, Wilmette, Niles, Northbrook, Glenview, Evanston, Winnetka, Highland park, Northfield, Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Mount Prospect. I am a member of the ACLU, Illinois State Bar Association.
We wrote the chapters on DEFENSES and ARRESTS AND INVESTIGATORY STOPS.
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Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).We wrote the chapters on SEARCH and SEIZURE, MOTIONS AND DISCOVERY, and EVIDENTIARY MATTERS GENERALLY.
Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).
Author Archives: mdkeenan
VIOLATING YOUR ILLINOIS MONITORING DEVICE DRIVING PERMIT
First-time DUI offenders may quality for a Monitoring Device Driving Permit (MDDP) which allows you to keep driving—as long as you carefully follow all the rules. A violation of your MDDP can extend your time without a driver’s license and … Continue reading
Posted in driving on a suspended license, suspensions, violation
Tagged BAAID, breath activated ignition interlock device, judicial driving permit, MDDP, monitoring device driving permit
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HOW LONG WILL I LOSE MY DRIVER’S LICENSE FROM DUI IN ILLINOIS?
You need your car to get to work. If you can’t drive, you’ll lose your job. Unfortunately, you just got charged with DUI. Will you lose your license and for how long? The answers to those questions depend on several … Continue reading
Posted in driving on a suspended license, suspensions, zero tolerance
Tagged BAIID, breath activated ignition interlock device, driving on a suspended license, license suspension, mandatory secretary of state suspension, suspension, zero tolerance
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HOW ACCURATE IS THE BREATHALYZER MACHINE?
When you are stopped for DUI, the officer might ask you to blow into a portable breathalyzer machine. Depending on that reading, you may be arrested and asked to blow into a breathalyzer at the police station. Many factors can … Continue reading
Posted in breathalyzer/field sobriety test, DUI testing
Tagged breath testing, breathalyzer, portable breathalyzer
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HOW TO CHOOSE A DUI ATTORNEY
No matter how great they are, not all attorneys are right for all clients. So how do you choose the criminal defense attorney that will best represent you? Here are some pointers: 1) Communication: This factor would likely be at … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged choosing an attorney, dui defense attorney, how to choose a DUI attorney, representation
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“BUT HE CUT ME OFF!”: THE ILLINOIS LAW ON ROAD RAGE
You just saw red. When the other driver cut you off, you got so mad you rammed his car. Now, for that few seconds of road rage, you are charged with reckless driving. In Illinois, a person commits reckless driving … Continue reading
Posted in traffic offenses
Tagged aggravated reckless driving, reckless driving, road rage
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“HOW DID I DO?”: EVALUATING DUI VIDEO EVIDENCE
Many police department, including Chicago, Niles, Morton Grove and Skokie, require police to video traffic stops if their car is equipped with a camera. The video should be the most accurate record of how you performed on field sobriety tests. … Continue reading
Posted in breathalyzer/field sobriety test, DUI evidence, DUI testing
Tagged DUI evidence, DUI video, field sobriety test, Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, one-leg stand test, walk and turn test
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BECAUSE THEY CAN: THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S DISCRETIONARY POWER TO SUSPEND YOUR LICENSE
We can all agree that the Secretary of State has a valid interest in keeping the roads safe. As part of that interest, Illinois law has given the Secretary of State broad power to suspend a person’s driver’s license for … Continue reading
Posted in suspensions
Tagged accident, discretionary summary suspension, driving on a suspended license, mandatory summary suspension, secretary of state, traffic violations
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DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CANNABIS OR DRUGS IN ILLINOIS
In Illinois, there are several ways of charging you with driving under the influence of marijuana or cannabis. With one exception, however, the state may have difficulty proving you were actually impaired. If you were driving after smoking pot you … Continue reading
Posted in DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Tagged driving under the influence of cannabis, driving under the influence of drugs, driving under the influence of marijuana, DUI cannabis, DUI drugs, DUI marijuana
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“CAN THEY REALLY STOP ME FOR THAT?” OBSTRUCTED WINDSHIELDS, IMPROPER LICENSE PLATE DISPLAY, AND OTHER MINOR OFFENSES
UPDATED July 25, 2023: As of January 1, 2024, police will no longer be able to stop you for something hanging from your front windshield. While you may not drive a motor vehicle with any objects suspended between you and … Continue reading
Posted in DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, moving violations, probable cause, speeding, traffic offenses, violation
Tagged improper license plate display, obstructed mirror, probable cause, traffic stop, traffic tickets, violation
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BUT IT’S MY FIRST DUI! DOESN’T THAT MATTER?
You’ve never been in trouble before. This DUI is your first arrest of any kind. Doesn’t that help? The answer is yes and no. A first offender may be eligible for a lighter sentence than a repeat offender. However, your … Continue reading
Posted in DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Tagged bad character, character, first offense, good character
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