Madison OWI & Criminal Defense Every defense begins with a conversation.
Just got a ticket, a summons, or a call from police? You do not have to sort it out alone tonight. A person answers at any hour, and Glenn usually calls you back as soon as he can, in English or Spanish.
Whatever hour finds you, we answer.
Just Got a Ticket?
Start here. Four steps, in order.
You do not need to understand the whole case tonight. You only need the next step.
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Find two things on your paperwork
The court date, and the name of the court. Then look for any separate notice about your driver’s license: some carry a 10-day deadline.
Tonight Photograph every page and keep the originals together.
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Do not explain the facts yet
Be polite, but do not describe what happened to police, school, an employer, or anyone online. What you say now can be repeated in court.
Not yet Posting about it, or contacting anyone involved.
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Call, at any hour
A person answers 608.271.2271 day or night, every day of the year, and Glenn usually calls you back as soon as he can. The consultation is free and confidential.
Right now Call 608.271.2271
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Bring it all to the consultation
The citation, every notice, any bond paperwork, and the date. You leave knowing what happens next, and what the defense would cost.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Tell Us What You Are Facing
Two taps takes you to the page written for your situation. Every path ends the same way: a free, confidential conversation with Attorney Glenn E. Avena.
What kind of case is it?
Which of these fits best?
Which describes the accusation?
Day or Night
Glenn E. Avena
Criminal Defense & Trial AttorneyCall at any hour and a real person answers. Then Glenn usually calls you back as soon as he can. He reads the reports himself, stands next to you in court, and tells you the truth about your case, even when it is not what you hoped to hear.
Every call is answered by a person. Glenn returns his own calls.
A young person’s mistake should not define the rest of their life.
Glenn E. Avena
Clear Guidance From the Start
What actually happens after you call
Four steps, in order. Open any one of them to see what it involves and roughly how long it takes.
You call 608.271.2271 or send the form. You describe what happened in your own words. Nothing you say is billed and nothing leaves the office.
- Have your citation, bond paperwork, or Notice of Intent to Revoke to hand if you have them.
- Say which county the case is in, it changes who the prosecutor is and how the case moves.
- Mention any court date you have already been given, even if it is months away.
- If English is not your first language, say so. Spanish is spoken here.
Police reports, citations, test paperwork, bond conditions and court notices are pulled and read line by line. This is where most of the useful problems in a case are found.
- Was the stop lawful, and does the report actually say why?
- Were the implied-consent warnings read properly, and in a language you understood?
- Do the breath or blood timings, the machine records and the lab paperwork line up?
- Are the bond conditions ones you can realistically live with, or do they need changing now?
You get told what the realistic outcomes are, not the best one. The plan is built around what is genuinely at stake for you, a license, a job, a scholarship, a visa, a professional registration.
- Motions worth filing, and motions that would only cost you money.
- Whether a diversion or deferred agreement is realistically available in that county.
- What a plea would actually mean, spelled out before anyone signs anything.
- What the case looks like if it goes to trial instead.
Hearings, negotiation, and trial if that is where it goes. You are told what each date is for before it happens, and what came out of it afterwards.
- You are not left to guess what a hearing was about.
- Calls are returned. If we are in court, they are returned after.
- Where an expungement or license step is possible afterwards, you are told how to take it.
Priority Practice
OWI defense is the core of this practice
By the time someone needs a Madison OWI lawyer, the clock is usually already running. Attorney Glenn E. Avena built a dedicated Wisconsin OWI practice around that clock.
Client Reviews
What clients say, straight from Google
The rating below is read from the firm’s Google Business Profile when this page loads. It is not a number typed into the website, and it changes when the reviews change.
Business Profile
Attorney Glenn E. Avena also keeps public profiles on the directories below. Ratings there are maintained by each platform, so they are linked rather than reprinted here.
Avena Law Office, LLC
Everyone on this team will know your name.
Your case is Glenn’s case. Associate attorney Eric Caudill and paralegals Kathryn Avena and Claire Krause keep it moving between court dates, and all of them will know your name.
Left to right: Claire Krause, Eric Caudill, Glenn E. Avena, Kathryn Avena. Photograph © Avena Law Office, LLC.
Criminal Defense Services
Find your charge
Pick the group your situation falls into. Each card goes straight to a page written for that charge, with the penalties, the deadlines, and the defenses that actually apply to it in Wisconsin.
First offense through tenth, refusal hearings, BAC disputes, CDL and under-21 cases.
Open the OWI hub Refused the testA refusal hearing has to be demanded in writing within ten days of the notice, or the revocation simply starts.
See the deadline Driving for workOccupational license eligibility, restrictions, and what an interlock requirement really means day to day.
Occupational license Drug chargesTHC, controlled substances, prescriptions, and whether the search that found them was lawful at all.
Drug possession defense Domestic allegationsNo-contact orders, bond conditions, and the practical problem of being ordered out of your own home.
Domestic violence defense Battery & assaultMisdemeanor through aggravated battery, injury evidence, and self-defense where the facts support it.
Battery defense Disorderly conductWisconsin’s most commonly charged misdemeanor, and the record it leaves if nobody fights it.
Disorderly conduct Theft & larcenyRetail theft and larceny, where the dollar thresholds sit, and when a theft charge becomes a felony.
Theft defense Criminal damageDamage valuation, restitution exposure, and whether the state can actually prove intent.
Criminal damage Felony defenseSerious charges where the first two weeks decide what options are still on the table later.
Felony defense Juvenile & student casesSchool incidents, underage alcohol, and first contact with police, handled with the record in mind.
Misdemeanor & juvenile Clearing a recordWisconsin expungement rules are narrow and the timing matters. Find out quickly whether you qualify.
ExpungementMadison-Based. Wisconsin-Focused.
Fourteen counties. One attorney who shows up.
Glenn’s office is ten minutes from the Dane County Courthouse, and his practice covers the courthouses of South-Central Wisconsin. Select a county to see its seat, what he handles there, and its dedicated resource page.
Every county, in depth: Dane · Columbia · Rock · Jefferson · Dodge · Sauk · Green · Iowa · Grant · Lafayette · Richland · Marquette · Green Lake · Fond du Lac
Common Questions
Questions people actually ask us
Straight answers, each one written to stand on its own. Every page on this site carries its own set for the charge it covers.
Should I call a Madison OWI lawyer immediately after an arrest?
Yes. OWI cases can involve court dates, license deadlines, refusal issues, BAC testing, insurance consequences, and employment concerns. Early legal review helps protect options before the case moves further.
Is a DUI the same as an OWI in Wisconsin?
Yes, for practical purposes. Wisconsin law calls it OWI, operating while intoxicated, but people often say DUI, OUI, or drunk driving. Avena Law Office defends all of them, and the deadlines and license consequences are the same whatever the charge is called.
Do juveniles need a criminal defense attorney?
Yes. Juvenile cases can still create serious consequences for a young person's education, record, reputation, and future. Early legal guidance can help protect long-term opportunities.
What should parents do if their child is charged with a crime?
Do not let the child discuss the facts of the case with police, school officials, or others without legal advice. Save all paperwork and contact a defense attorney quickly.
Can student or juvenile charges be dismissed or reduced?
Sometimes. Outcomes depend on the facts, evidence, police conduct, prior record, age, and available diversion or negotiation options. Every case requires individual review.
Where is Avena Law Office located?
Avena Law Office, LLC is located at 1402 Greenway Cross, Suite 202, Madison, WI 53713.
Does Avena Law Office serve counties outside Madison?
Yes. Avena Law Office serves clients in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Lafayette, Marquette, Richland, Rock, and Sauk counties.
Can I call Avena Law Office at night or on a weekend?
Yes. A person answers 608.271.2271 at any hour, every day of the year, and Glenn usually calls you back as soon as he can. Arrests rarely happen during office hours, and the first deadlines can start running the same night.
Local Defense, Local Courts
Your case is heard here, by people who work here
Avena Law Office, LLC runs a Madison criminal defense practice from one office and appears in the courthouses of Dane, Columbia, and the surrounding South-Central Wisconsin counties. Knowing the courtroom, the prosecutors, and how a county actually handles a charge is not a detail. It changes what can be negotiated.
Free Consultation
Contact Avena Law Office About Your Defense Today
If you were arrested for OWI, cited for DUI, accused of refusal, or charged with a criminal offense, send a confidential message now — a Madison criminal defense attorney reads it, not a call center.
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