Charles Rathburn is one of the few attorneys in the State of Indiana or in the United States who has been qualified by trial and appellate courts as an expert on breath testing, the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), and alcohol’s effects on the human body.
I’m not sure when it happened in my life, but at some point, it became important to me to be more of a giver than a taker. It was my goal to help others. In my mid 20s, my helping of others came back to bite me, and I needed a lawyer to protect me. My interaction with him gave me my new calling. I knew that my passion to help people would be enhanced if I could become a lawyer. With great determination I graduated law school and passed the Indiana Bar in less than three years.
I opened an office in my home town and took every type of case that came through the door. My first case was a criminal case. People say you don’t remember your first case, I remember it vividly. I remember each of the witnesses I interviewed. I remember going to meet my client at the jail, the stink of the facility, the clanking of the doors in front of me and behind me to secure the human beings inside from trying to leave without permission. I remember the fear in my client’s eyes as we discussed the length of time the court could force him to stay in those circumstances. It is something I can never forget. It is the same look most of my clients have the first time they meet with me.
It soon became apparent that criminal defense was going to be where I would focus my attention. I soon became interested in DUI defense. I got tired of my clients being convicted based upon an opinion of a person whose job it is to arrest people and was prone to embellish their story. I soon started to learn everything I could about this area of the law.
I read every treatise I could find. I went to seminars where this topic was discussed. I got myself trained in the protocols of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. Once I learned how to administer the tests, I soon became trained in how to teach others to administer the tests.
At the same time I was doing that, I purchased the breath testing devices used in the State of Indiana. I purchased an Alco-Sensor III which was the road-side breath testing device used by the police and I purchased the evidential breath testing device that is used in court to convict people of DUI. I purchased these devices directly from the manufacturer developing a professional and personal relationship with them. There are few people who have had the level of training on breath testing devices that I have. My relationship with that company was such that they encouraged me to go teach other attorneys how the device operates. I have been recognized as an expert on breath testing, field sobriety tests, and the DataMaster family of breath testing instruments by courts in Alaska, California, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In addition to my training in breath testing, I went to school to learn to be a phlebotomist and lab assistant to begin to better learn blood and urine testing as well.
What this means for my clients is that I will examine all evidence to defend them. I know where to look and what to seek. Your defense will be complete and thorough. I represent people on DUI matters across the State of Indiana. Being centrally located in Indianapolis means I am with easy driving distance from any court in this state.
If you or a loved one have been charged with a violation of our DUI statutes, please call 317-671-8965 to schedule a free consultation or use our contact form to have an attorney contact you. We can discuss your charges, your defenses, and a pathway past this difficult time.
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