Video: The Differing Roles of Lawyers and Alcohol/Drug Counselors at Hearings

March 17, 2025

Transcript:

Our Chicago-based law practice focuses exclusively on Illinois driver’s license reinstatement.

In this video, we answer a question asked in some consultations:

Can my drug/alcohol counselor prepare me for a license reinstatement hearing?

Driver’s license hearings are legal proceedings.

They invoke criminal, civil, and administrative law.

An attorney must have an active law license to represent a party at a revocation hearing.

A person may engage in the unauthorized practice of law if they provide legal advice or representation without a license to do so.

Unlike lawyers, a drug/alcohol counselor does not typically appear in a hearing room, nor can they question a party during a formal hearing.

The role of a drug/alcohol counselor is to provide a clinical opinion, not a legal one.

Drug/alcohol counselors often conduct evaluations and perform treatment for driver’s license hearings.

At a DUI revocation hearing, the evaluation and treatment documents are often admitted as evidence.

These documents provide the counselor’s clinical opinion as to whether a revoked driver has resolved their problem with alcohol or drugs.

Although lawyers and alcohol/drug counselors are different, they both serve vital functions in the hearing process.

The professions may work in tandem, but neither is licensed to do the job of the other.

We recommend consulting with an experienced driver’s license attorney prior to making any legal decisions.

For Illinois suspensions and revocations, we welcome revoked drivers to call our office for a free consultation on the driver’s license reinstatement.

Our office can be reached via phone at (844) WIRTH LAW or by visiting our website at www.frontlinelegal.com.