Biglaw, DUI / DWI

Biglaw Partner Pleads Guilty To DUI Charge

He didn't have a drop to drink... oh wait, yes he did.

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If you’re a lawyer and you ever find yourself in a position to be arrested, it’s best not to demand of the police officer whether he or she knows who you are (and for what it’s worth, proper etiquette also dictates that you not tell the officer to Google you).

Today in attorney misconduct, we’ve got the case of a former U.S. attorney cum Biglaw partner who drank during a client dinner, crashed his car, and then continued driving it after leaving the scene of the accident.

Stephen R. Wigginton of Armstrong Teasdale, formerly of the Southern District of Illinois, was arrested in late May after fleeing the scene of an accident in Troy, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Here’s what happened next, according to reporting by the Am Law Daily:

Stephen Wigginton

Police dashboard camera video and other records obtained in June by local news outlets under an Illinois Freedom of Information Act request revealed that Wigginton told a police officer that pulled him over, “You know who I am,” and when told by the officer that he did not, replied, “Well, your boss does.”

Troy Police Officer Bryan Brown, who was responding to reports of an accident on U.S. Route 40, pulled over Wigginton in his 2009 black Cadillac after noticing it smoking and missing a headlight as it drove past him. Brown wrote in a police report that Wigginton’s speech was slurred and that he smelled of alcohol. He wrote that Wigginton initially denied drinking, but then admitted that he had a “glass of vodka” while out to dinner with clients on the night of May 23.

As it turns out, Wigginton drove his car off the road, crashed through a fence, drove into and out of a ditch, and then found himself back on the road a short time later. He was charged with DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, and improper lighting. After initially pleading not guilty, Wigginton later accepted a deal and changed his plea to guilty.

Wigginton was supposed to lose his license for up to a year, but a judge restored it for him. He’ll remain under court supervision for one year’s time, attend a talk for DUI offenders, and pay a fine of $1,500 (double the normal amount).

Armstrong Teasdale, the 500-lawyer, St. Louis-based firm that employs Wigginton, declined to comment on its partner’s errant ways.

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Armstrong Teasdale Partner, Ex-US Attorney Pleads Guilty to DUI Charge [Am Law Daily]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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