How a DWI Lawyer Can Challenge Breath Test Evidence in Texas 67477

If you have been arrested and are purchasing for a DWI attorney in Lubbock, the fast solution is this: a breath verify is incredible proof, but it is not really automatic evidence of guilt, and it'll sometimes be challenged. A DWI arrest in Lubbock County can placed your driving force’s license, your offender rfile, and in a few situations your freedom at menace. It may additionally jump a separate license suspension approach lower than Texas’s ALR application, and the time limit issues. In such a lot cases, you've got you have got 15 days from receiving detect of suspension to request an ALR hearing, and in blood try situations the closing date is 20 days from the mailing date of the notice (Tex. Transp. Code §§ 524.031, 724.041).

If you favor clear solutions about your subject, Texas Criminal Defense Group can provide a free consultation. You can call (806) 542-3513 to speak due to what came about, what cut-off dates practice, and what a DWI lawyer might also seek for in the stop, the checking out process, and the State’s evidence.

What Happens After a DWI Arrest in Lubbock

A DWI arrest constantly starts off with booking, an look beforehand a Justice of the Peace, and bureaucracy that influences either your crook case and your license. In Lubbock County, men and women arrested for DWI are booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center, 3502 N. Holly, Lubbock, TX 79403. Arrests inside the neighborhood would contain the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, or the Texas Tech University Police Department.

Texas legislation requires an visual appeal prior to a magistrate with out pointless prolong and inside forty eight hours of arrest (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 15.17). The Sheriff’s Office says these hearings are held as a minimum two times day-to-day and are are living-streamed. At that level, the magistrate addresses average rights and bond. Bond is usually posted on the reformatory bond window or by way of a bail bond organization.

If an officer requested for a breath or blood specimen after arrest, the officer should still learn the DIC-24 statutory warning less than Texas implied consent law (Tex. Transp. Code §§ 724.011, 724.1/2). If the officer believes a suspension applies, chances are you'll additionally get hold of a DIC-25 Notice of Suspension. That understand concerns since it will trigger the closing date to request an ALR listening to.

It also helps to split three the various tiers:

Arrested capacity police took you into custody.
Charged skill a prosecutor filed a legal case.
Convicted skill you have been observed responsible, or in a few instances entered a plea that ended in a conviction.

Those aren't the same factor. A man or women may be arrested for DWI and still have defenses to the forestall, the arrest, the breath try, or the fee itself. In Lubbock County, misdemeanor and prison DWI instances are prosecuted by the Lubbock County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

How Texas Law Defines DWI

In Texas, DWI capacity running a motor automobile in a public location even as intoxicated (Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.04). The State does no longer have to prove each and every DWI case with a breath try over zero.08. Texas legislations offers prosecutors two separate ways to try to end up intoxication (Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.01(2)).

First, the State may also claim you did no longer have the accepted use of your intellectual or bodily faculties by way of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a bad drug, a combination of those components, or some other substance. Second, the State would possibly declare your alcohol concentration was 0.08 or more (Tex. Penal Code §§ forty nine.01(1), forty nine.01(2)).

That is why a person should be arrested even if a later try result is less than zero.08. The prosecution may also nonetheless try and turn out intoxication underneath the “general use” definition. It additionally way DWI circumstances can involve extra than alcohol. Prescription remedy is usually component of a DWI allegation, and a legitimate prescription is not a defense via itself (Tex. Penal Code § 49.10).

Texas legislation also uses vast language for wherein and the way DWI can occur. “Operating” is not very limited to riding down I-27 or Loop 289. “Public region” contains locations which include parking tons and condominium generic places (Tex. Penal Code § 1.07). A DWI arrest can even occur on Broadway, in a store parking space, or in yet one more subject open to the general public.

Texas additionally treats DUI in another way. For drivers lower than 21, DUI with the aid of a minor is a separate offense for driving with any detectable volume of alcohol inside the body (Tex. Alco. Bev. Code § 106.041). It is a Class C misdemeanor. It will never be a lesser adaptation of DWI, and adults cannot be charged with it. A driving force beneath 21 can nevertheless be charged with full DWI if the proof suit the DWI statute.

Texas DWI Penalties (Current as of September 2026)

Texas DWI consequences rely on the tips, the alcohol concentration degree alleged, past convictions, and no matter if anybody was once injured or a child passenger changed into interested. The desk lower than summarizes the offense levels indexed in Texas law as of September 2026.

| Offense | Statute | Offense Level | Confinement | Maximum Fine | |---|---|---|---|---| | First DWI | Tex. Penal Code §§ 49.04(b), 12.22 | Class B misdemeanor | 72 hours minimum to 180 days in county prison | $2,000 | | First DWI with open container in instantaneous possession | Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.04(c) | Class B misdemeanor | 6 days minimal to one hundred eighty days in county penal complex | $2,000 | | DWI with alcohol concentration of zero.15 or more at time of evaluation | Tex. Penal Code §§ forty nine.04(d), 12.21 | Class A misdemeanor | Up to 1 year in county reformatory | $4,000 | | DWI in university crossing quarter at the same time as reduced faculty pace restriction applies | Tex. Penal Code §§ forty nine.04(e), 12.35 | State penitentiary legal | one hundred eighty days to 2 years in country prison | $10,000 | | DWI with passenger more youthful than 15 | Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.0.5 | State jail legal | 180 days to 2 years in state detention center | $10,000 | | Second DWI | Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.09(a) | Class A misdemeanor | 30 days minimum in county penitentiary, up to one year | $four,000 | | Third DWI | Tex. Penal Code §§ 49.09(b)(2), 12.34 | Third-measure legal | 2 to 10 years in criminal | $10,000 | | Intoxication assault | Tex. Penal Code § 49.07 | Third-measure criminal | 2 to ten years in penitentiary | $10,000 | | Intoxication manslaughter | Tex. Penal Code §§ 49.08, 12.33 | Second-degree prison | 2 to twenty years in reformatory | $10,000 | | Boating while intoxicated | Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.06 | Class B misdemeanor | seventy two hours minimum to a hundred and eighty days in county jail | $2,000 |

A very last DWI conviction might also cause a separate kingdom fine underneath Transportation Code § 709.001. That quality is $three,000 for a first conviction inside a 36 month duration, $4,500 for a moment or next conviction within 36 months, or $6,000 if the alcohol awareness became 0.15 or extra. It is to boot to the legal quality. The court docket have to waive it if the individual is found out indigent.

Protecting Your Driver's License

Your license is not mechanically suspended the instant you are arrested, however a suspension can initiate in the event you do no longer act in time. The ALR application creates a separate civil procedure from the prison case, and the points in time come instant (Tex. Transp. Code §§ 524.031, 724.041).

The ALR hearing and suspension lengths

If you well timed request an ALR hearing, the suspension does not delivery until eventually the executive legislations pass judgement on comes to a decision the case. ALR hearings are dealt with by way of the State Office of Administrative Hearings, and the security can subpoena the arresting officer. That might possibly be precious considering that it's going to exhibit evidence early.

For so much adult circumstances, the suspension lengths are:

| Basis for suspension | Suspension size | |---|---| | Failing a verify | ninety days | | Failing a examine with past alcohol-comparable or drug-comparable enforcement touch within 10 years | 1 12 months | | Refusing a scan | 180 days | | Refusing a check with prior alcohol-relevant or drug-linked enforcement touch within 10 years | 2 years |

These suspension durations come from Transportation Code §§ 524.022 and 724.035. If no listening to is asked, the suspension commonly starts on the fortieth day after notice. ALR suspensions can not be probated, and the reinstatement expense is $125 (Tex. Transp. Code § 724.046).

A first DWI conviction may result in a separate license suspension of 90 days to one year (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.344(a)).

Occupational driver's license

An occupational driving force’s license, additionally generally known as an basic desire license, may possibly allow restricted driving for the period of a suspension (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.2421). For an ALR-simplest suspension, the petition is going to a courtroom within the county wherein you reside or wherein the arrest happened. For a suspension after a conviction, the petition ought to be filed with the court of conviction.

The court have got to order alcohol-dependence counseling except it unearths amazing motive now not to (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.245). By default, driving is restrained to 4 hours a day, but the courtroom can let up to 12 hours in case you demonstrate want (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.248(b)). If the occupational license requires an ignition interlock gadget, the time, path, and motive limits do not practice (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.248(d)).

The signed courtroom order works as a non permanent license for forty five days (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.249). An SR-22 is needed. No occupational license is ever issued for using a industrial motor automobile (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.2424).

Ignition interlock and SR-22

An ignition interlock tool is a breath-dependent tool mounted in a car. Texas law largely calls for interlock as a bond condition for a repeat DWI charge and for DWI with a baby passenger, intoxication attack, or intoxication manslaughter bills (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 17.441). It can also be required as a circumstance of community supervision for guaranteed circumstances, along with 0.15 or more, repeat offenders, and drivers under 21 (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.408).

If deferred adjudication neighborhood supervision is purchasable in a first DWI case, an ignition interlock system is required until waived after an analysis.

An SR-22 is a Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate that your insurance plan employer info with DPS. It is a certificates, now not a policy.

How a DWI Defense Lawyer Challenges the Evidence

A dwi safety lawyer seems on the complete case, no longer simply the wide variety on a look at various effect. Breath evidence may be challenged, yet so can the visitors prevent, the sphere checks, the arrest determination, the blood draw, and the timing of a zero.15 effect.

The site visitors stop

A lawful visitors discontinue calls for practical suspicion, and an arrest requires possible cause less than the Fourth Amendment. If an officer stopped you without a valid legal basis, that dilemma would influence what evidence should be would becould very well be used later.

In exercise, the safeguard may well evaluate the document, sprint-cam photos, and frame-cam photos. The query is ceaselessly elementary: what selected evidence did the officer declare justified the forestall on a road like Marsha Sharp Freeway or in a car parking zone, and do the recordings in shape that declare?

Field sobriety tests

Field sobriety exams might be challenged established on how they have been defined, established, performed, and scored. The standardized checks are the horizontal gaze nystagmus, stroll-and-turn, and one-leg stand, advanced by way of NHTSA.

No Texas statute requires a motive force to operate field sobriety checks, and declining them does not cause an ALR suspension. These checks are frequently provided as indications of intoxication, but they are nevertheless human observations. A safeguard legal professional may additionally test regardless of whether the officer used the standardized instructional materials and no matter if the video supports the officer’s conclusions.

Breath tests

Breath try out evidence will be puzzled on both the device area and the human edge. In Texas, breath checking out is achieved at the Intoxilyzer 9000 via the DPS Breath Alcohol Testing Program, and certified operators are used (Tex. Transp. Code § 724.016).

A safeguard legal professional may just evaluation:

operator certification archives
maintenance and calibration archives
the timing of the breath specimen
whether the information express troubles that be counted in your case

The State still has to glue the check outcome to you and to the time that matters. A breath result can also be reliable facts, yet it isn't very beyond evaluation effectively for the reason that a gadget produced a variety of.

Texas regulation additionally things whenever you refused a asked specimen. Under implied consent legislations, refusal continues to be attainable, yet it might probably bring a longer ALR suspension and can be used as proof at trial (Tex. Transp. Code §§ 724.011, 724.061). That does not judge the felony case by itself, yet it's miles section of the total evidence snapshot.

Blood tests and seek warrants

Blood evidence may also be challenged, fantastically while the problem is regardless of whether police had consent, a valid warrant, or top emergency conditions. Since 2021, police extensively desire a search warrant or accurate emergency circumstances to take blood with out consent, even if a specimen could or else be necessary (Tex. Transp. Code § 724.012(e)).

Texas regulation additionally requires blood to be drawn by qualified team of workers in a sanitary area (Tex. Transp. Code § 724.017). Blood samples are retained, and an individual may additionally request complete assistance approximately the evaluation (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 38.50, Tex. Transp. Code § 724.018). Chain-of-custody facts is also reviewed.

If you gave the officer the requested specimen, you would possibly, inside of 2 hours of arrest, set up one more self sufficient blood test via a certified person of your making a choice on (Tex. Transp. Code § 724.019). Police do now not ought to shipping you for that examine.

You might also hear the word “No Refusal.” That is the name of an enforcement initiative, not a legislations. During these operations, a refusal in many instances leads officials to look for a judge-signed blood search warrant, and the refusal nonetheless triggers the ALR suspension.

The 0.15 timing question

A zero.15 case can commonly raise a timing difficulty. Texas makes DWI a Class A misdemeanor if the alcohol attention was once zero.15 or extra at the time the prognosis turned into performed (Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.04(d)).

That wording topics considering the fact that the sample is assuredly taken after the give up, not although the grownup used to be riding. In a few situations, the defense could query how the later test end result relates back to the earlier riding time. That can lead to things about timing and retrograde extrapolation.

Possible Outcomes for a First DWI

A first DWI case can result in a few varied methods, based on the information, the evidence, your heritage, and the prosecutor’s selections. No Lubbock DWI attorney fair lawyer should promise a particular consequence. What things is how effective the State’s evidence is and what felony troubles will be raised.

Dismissal might happen in a few situations, however now not mechanically. If key evidence has felony problems, if facts is lacking, or if the prosecution makes a decision it won't meet its burden, dismissal is also you can actually.

Reduction can occur in some circumstances, yet it depends on the information and the prosecutor. One that you can imagine aid regarded via Texas legislations is Obstructing Highway or Other Passageway (Tex. Penal Code § forty two.03). That is not attainable in every case.

Deferred adjudication community supervision has been purchasable for a primary DWI given that September 1, 2019 (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.102). On helpful of completion, there's no conviction. But it can be no longer available if the alcohol attention changed into 0.15 or extra on the time of the offense, if the adult holds a industrial motive force’s license or learner’s let, if a baby passenger became in contact, or if the charge is stronger. A DWI deferred adjudication nevertheless counts as a prior conviction if someone is later charged with DWI again (Tex. Penal Code § 49.09(g)).

Community supervision (more often than not often called probation) is an alternate imaginable final results. Straight group supervision is a conviction with a probated sentence. For misdemeanor circumstances, neighborhood supervision is capped at 2 years, however it might probably be prolonged after a violation (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.053).

Many first-time circumstances additionally require lessons. The DWI Education Program is 12 hours less than TDLR policies and is primarily finished within one hundred eighty days of being placed on network supervision (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.403). Repeat offenders attend the DWI Intervention Program, at least 30 hours (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.404).

Trial can also be an possibility in some situations. At trial, the State have got to end up guilt beyond an inexpensive doubt. A breath look at various is in simple terms one section of that evidence.

Records after the case, nondisclosure and expunction

A DWI arrest rfile does not disappear on its very own. Whether you would possibly later clean or limit public get entry to to the record relies upon on how the case ends.

An order of nondisclosure can seal many first DWI history from public view if the felony specifications are met (Tex. Gov’t Code §§ 411.0726, 411.0731, 411.0736). Waiting intervals fluctuate:

2 years after discharge from deferred adjudication
2 years after winding up community supervision if interlock become required for not less than 6 months, in any other case five years
3 years after a conviction with out supervision if interlock used to be required for no less than 6 months, in a different way five years

Not all of us qualifies. It just isn't readily available for a zero.15 or extra conviction. It may additionally be denied if the State proves the offense caused a collision regarding some other man or woman. Law enforcement and licensing organizations can still see sealed statistics.

An expunction is other. It is ruled by Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55A and might follow after an acquittal, after distinctive dismissals, or while premiums are never filed and ready intervals flow. A dismissal does not erase statistics by using itself. An expunction petition is required. A conviction that stands will not be expunged, aside from in uncommon occasions akin to a pardon or truly-innocence alleviation.

A Texas DWI conviction stays on a criminal file permanently. There is not any computerized elimination after 7 or 10 years.

Repeat and Felony DWI Charges

Repeat DWI premiums are much more extreme due to the fact earlier intoxication offenses can bring up the payment level and the abilities sentence. In Texas, prior intoxication convictions depend for enhancement in spite of how antique they are. There is no 10 12 months washout, and out-of-kingdom priors count (Tex. Penal Code § 49.09(c)).

A 2d DWI is a Class A misdemeanor with a minimal 30 days of confinement (Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.09(a)). A third DWI is a 3rd-level felony punishable by way of 2 to ten years in prison and a positive up to $10,000 (Tex. Penal Code §§ forty nine.09(b)(2), 12.34).

Some prior intoxication offenses other than DWI can even remember, adding prior boating, flying, and enjoyment trip intoxication convictions. That is one motive a careful history overview concerns in a repeat case.

Bond conditions might also turn out to be stricter. Texas legislation most likely requires an ignition interlock device as a bond situation for a repeat DWI price and for expenditures regarding a infant passenger, intoxication assault, or intoxication manslaughter (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 17.441).

Intoxication assault way causing severe physically harm by means of reason why of intoxication. It is a 3rd-measure felony (Tex. Penal Code § 49.07). Intoxication manslaughter is mainly a 2d-measure felony punishable via 2 to 20 years (Tex. Penal Code § 49.08). Since September 1, 2025, intoxication manslaughter should be a first-measure felony in convinced circumstances, together with when a couple of man or woman dies inside the identical legal transaction (Tex. Penal Code § forty nine.09(b-2)).

A lubbock dwi defense lawyer coping with a repeat or felony case will in general evaluate equally the modern facts and the previous conviction files due to the fact that enhancement legislations can replace the rate stage dramatically.

CDL Holders, Texas Tech Students, and Drivers Under 21

Some agencies face added outcomes even on a primary arrest. That includes industrial drivers, other people under 21, and scholars going through a college behavior approach on the identical time.

For CDL holders, a breath end result of zero.04 or more even as operating a commercial motor vehicle brings a 1 year industrial license disqualification as an administrative movement, now not a felony price (Tex. Transp. Code § 522.081(b)). A first DWI conviction in any vehicle, or refusing or failing a check, also brings a 1 year CDL disqualification, or three years if hauling placarded harmful ingredients. A second brings a lifetime disqualification (Tex. Transp. Code § 522.081).

Texas also bars CDL and business learner’s enable holders from DWI deferred adjudication network supervision (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.102). And no occupational license is issued for riding a business motor car (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.2424).

For drivers beneath 21, Texas has the separate offense of DUI through a minor, meaning riding with any detectable quantity of alcohol in the body (Tex. Alco. Bev. Code § 106.041). But a driving force below 21 can still be charged with full DWI if the records strengthen it. Interlock is additionally required as a situation of neighborhood supervision for drivers lower than 21 in DWI instances (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.408).

For Texas Tech students, the offender case is not very constantly the most effective hindrance. A collage habits approach can even run individually from the prison case.

A DWI Lawyer Near You in Lubbock

If you were arrested in Lubbock County, nearby help is attainable. Texas Criminal Defense Group is located at 1001 Texas Ave, Lubbock, TX 79401, and the telephone variety is (806) 542-3513.

The organization is helping persons arrested for DWI in and round Lubbock County, along with arrests tied to town streets, highways, and public areas across the side. If your arrest concerned a breath try out, a better steps would possibly contain reviewing the cease, the DIC forms, the ALR closing date, the video evidence, and the trying out facts.

If you've got you have got been shopping on line for a DWI legal professional near me, the maximum appropriate subsequent pass is often a direct phone call. A consultation might help comprehend what cut-off dates follow and what problems may rely in your express case.

Frequently Asked Questions

How lengthy do I need to request an ALR listening to after a DWI arrest in Texas?

Usually, you might have 15 days from receiving become aware of of suspension to request an ALR listening to (Tex. Transp. Code §§ 524.031, 724.041). In blood test circumstances, DPS may perhaps mail the awareness later, and the closing date is 20 days from the mailing date. It is simply not 15 days from the arrest itself.

Is my license suspended right away after a DWI arrest in Lubbock?

No, your license will never be immediately suspended immediately of arrest (Tex. Transp. Code §§ 524.031, 724.041). If you well timed request an ALR hearing, the suspension does now not start unless and unless the executive regulation choose upholds it. If no listening to is requested, the suspension sometimes begins at the fortieth day after observe.

Can I get an occupational driving force's license after a DWI suspension?

Yes, in lots of situations you might ask for an occupational motive force’s license (Tex. Transp. Code § 521.2421). The submitting courtroom depends on even if the suspension is ALR-best or follows a conviction. An SR-22 is needed, and the court order acts as a short-term license for forty five days. It does no longer let industrial motor automobile using.

Can a first DWI be a felony in Texas?

Yes, a primary DWI will also be a legal in some circumstances. DWI with a passenger young than 15 is a nation detention center felony (Tex. Penal Code § 49.1/2). DWI in a faculty crossing region although the lowered college pace restriction applies may be a nation detention center felony (Tex. Penal Code § 49.04(e)). A first DWI with out such enhancement is usually a misdemeanor.

What is the change between DWI and DUI in Texas?

DWI and DUI are completely different offenses in Texas. DWI is the adult intoxication offense lower than Penal Code Chapter forty nine. DUI with the aid of a minor applies solely to drivers below 21 with any detectable amount of alcohol (Tex. Alco. Bev. Code § 106.041). Adults won't be charged with DUI, and a motive force underneath 21 can nonetheless be charged with DWI.

Does deferred adjudication for DWI count number as a conviction?

For maximum purposes, triumphant deferred adjudication means there may be no conviction (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.102). But Texas treats DWI another way for long term enhancement. A DWI deferred adjudication nonetheless counts as a prior conviction if the consumer is later charged with DWI again (Tex. Penal Code § 49.09(g)).

Can I seal or expunge a DWI in Texas?

Sometimes, but it depends on how the case ended. Many first DWI instances may also qualify for an order of nondisclosure, which seals the file from public view if the requisites are met (Tex. Gov’t Code §§ 411.0726, 411.0731, 411.0736). Expunction might also follow after an acquittal, yes dismissals, or no filed expenses after waiting intervals. A conviction that stands is not going to on the whole be expunged.

What occurs if I refuse a breath or blood verify in Texas?

A refusal can bring about a longer ALR suspension, and it could actually be used as evidence at trial (Tex. Transp. Code §§ 724.011, 724.061). For adults, a refusal continually brings a one hundred eighty day suspension, or 2 years with a qualifying past enforcement contact inside 10 years (Tex. Transp. Code § 724.1/2). Whether police can nevertheless get hold of blood may just depend on consent, a warrant, or emergency circumstances.

Do I ought to do field sobriety checks in Texas?

No Texas statute requires you to carry out discipline sobriety assessments. Declining them does not create an ALR suspension. The standardized assessments are the horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn, and one-leg stand. Even while somebody does practice them, the protection can also nonetheless query how the officer instructed, noted, and scored the tests.

How lengthy does a DWI live on your rfile in Texas?

A Texas DWI conviction stays for your legal list completely. There isn't any automatic elimination after 7 or 10 years. In some first-offense situations, a man can even later qualify for an order of nondisclosure, which seals the listing from public view, but that isn't really automated and does now not erase the listing.

Do I need a attorney for a primary DWI offense?

You don't seem to be legally required to appoint a attorney, yet many individuals do as a result of a primary DWI can impact equally the legal case and the motive force’s license technique. A dwi attorney lubbock residents name can also assessment the cease, trying out facts, ALR cut-off dates, and you'll effects including dismissal, reduction, group supervision, or deferred adjudication, if obtainable.

A DWI arrest can leave you with various questions, but you do no longer have got to style due to the cut-off dates and office work alone. Texas Criminal Defense Group can give an explanation for the ALR strategy, the legal case, and whether there might possibly be grounds to crisis breath check proof or different ingredients of the State’s case. To mounted a unfastened consultation, name (806) 542-3513 or go to 1001 Texas Ave, Lubbock, TX 79401.

This web page adds well-known documents about Texas legislations, no longer authorized suggestion. Contacting the organization does not create an attorney-client courting. Current as of September 2026.