Donald J. Ramsell was born on November 28, 1958. He is married to his wife Veronica, and has two daughters, Jennifer and Anne. He is a resident of St. Charles, Illinois. His interests include golf, Corvettes, the Cubs, travel, and winning cases.

Donald J. Ramsell is the only Illinois DUI defense attorney to appear and argue on a DUI case before the United States Supreme Court in its entire 213 years of existence.

Ramsell also appears on 'America's Top DUI DWI Attorneys', located at www.Americas-Top-DUI-Attorneys.com.

Donald J. Ramsell is the only Illinois DUI Attorney to become Certified in DUI Defense under the American Bar Association standards. The Illinois Supreme Court does not recognize certification in DUI Defense at the present time.

In 2004, the Chicago Sun Times identified Mr. Ramsell as one of the top 5 DUI Defense Attorneys in the State of Illinois.

In 2005, Ramsell was named by Chicago Magazine as an 'Illinois Super Lawyer', and was the only Illinois DUI Attorney to receive this distinction.

In 2004, Ramsell was recognized by his peers as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in Criminal-DUI Defense by Crain Magazine. In 2006, Crain Magazine will also recognize Ramsell as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in Illinois Criminal Appeals.

In 2005, Ramsell was appointed the State Delegate for Illinois by the National College for DUI Defense, see www.ncdd.com.  

In 1986, Donald J. Ramsell discovered that the statewide breath testing program was using questionable procedures in certifying breathalyzers, causing thousands of tests to become disputed, and forcing immediate changes in the program.

In 1988, Ramsell discovered that the statewide breath testing program was falsifying testing documents, again causing thousands of tests to become suspect.

In 1998, Ramsell successfully proved that the Intoxilyzer 5000 breath testing instrument software had been rigged to produce false negative air blank results, causing all breath tests using that model to become inadmissible in the State of Illinois.

In 1999, after a two year investigation, Ramsell discovered that the Department of Public Health had failed to perform critical testing on breath testing equipment, causing test results to be suppressed across the state. Later that same year, the IDPH was forced to turn over control of the entire program to the State Police.

Illinois Criminal Defense
DUI Case Highlights
40 Ways To Beat A DUI
Illinois DUI Penalties

Education: 
Juris Doctor, Law Degree, DePaul University, 1984
Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice, Loyola University, 1981
  
Offices: 
President, DuPage County Bar Association, 2002-2003
President, DuPage County Bar Foundation, 2003-2004
President, DuPage County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2000-2001
Chair, Judiciary Committee, DuPage County Bar Association, 2003-2004
Vice-Chair, ISBA Traffic Law & Courts Section Council, 2003-2004 
Delegate, American Bar Association, 2002-2003
President-Elect, DuPage County Bar Association, 2001-2002
Planning Committee Chairperson, DuPage County Bar Association, 2001-2002
Second Vice President, DuPage County Bar Association, 2000-2001
Member, Mental Health Court Committee, DuPage County Health Dept., 2000-2001
Third Vice President, DuPage County Bar Association, 1999-2000
Chair, Lawyer Referral Service Committee, DBCA, 1999-2000
Chair, Membership Committee, DuPage County Bar Association, 1999-2000
Director, DuPage County Bar Association, 1998-1999
Chair, Entertainment Committee, DuPage County Bar Association, 1998-1999
Member, Traffic Laws & Courts Section Council, ISBA, 1997-Present
Chair, Judges' Nite, DuPage County Bar Association, 1996-1997
Member, DCBA Judiciary Committee, 1994-1996

Past & Present Memberships:  
U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society
National Association of Bar Presidents
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National College of DUI Defense
Illinois State Bar Association
DuPage County Bar Association
Kane County Bar Association
Northwest Suburban Bar Association
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association    
American Bar Association
    

Admittances:
United States Supreme Court, 1989-present
U.S. Court of Appeals, 7TH Circuit, 1986-present
Northern District of Illinois, 1985-present
Illinois Supreme Court, 1984-present
Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1989-present

Editor:   
DWI Newsletter, Regional Editor   
DuPage County Criminal Defense Lawyers Newsletter 2000-2001

Publications:   
"Field Sobriety Testing", Chapter Author, Defending DUI and Related Cases, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education 2004

"Are all Breath Tests taken in Illinois Between 1986 and 2000 Invalid?  Two Recent Developments Suggest that they are."  ISBA Traffic Laws & Courts Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 2, November 2002

"Every Lawyers Guide to DUI" Illinois Bar Journal, June 2002

"Field Sobriety Testing; Science v. Law" DuPage Bar Brief, March 2002
 
"Field Sobriety Tests in Illinois: Valid Psychophysical Tests or Voodoo
Science?", ISBA Traffic Laws & Courts Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 2, February 2002

Illinois DUI Fact Book 2001-2002, Contributing Author

"Recent Developments in DUI Law" DCBA Brief, June 2000

"Effective Closing Arguments in DUI Cases" Illinois Bar Journal,
 May 2000

"Breathalyzer Logbooks - What they don't and won't tell you", ISBA
Traffic Laws & Courts Newsletter, Vol. 8, NO. 3, April 1999

"Criminal Trial Case Study, The Trial of a DUI" DCBA Brief,
January 1998

"A Practical Guide to Summary Suspension Law", Illinois Bar Journal, August 1997

"Foreign Substances and Breath Testing", ISBA Newsletter, January 1997

"Summary Suspension Issues and Use of Experts in DUI Jury Trials" DCBA Brief, October 1993

"A Practical Approach to A Successful Summary Suspension Hearing"
DCBA Brief, September 1992

"Impeaching 10,000 Breath Alcohol Tests: The Solution is the Solution," DWI Journal, February 1989

"Impeaching Infrared Absorption Breath Test Devices," DWI Journal, March 1988

"Cross Examination of the Breath Alcohol Test Operator, Testimony of the Observation-Period Requirement," DWI Journal, August 1987
 
"A Practical Guide to the New DUI Laws" Illinois Bar Journal, July 1986
       
Media Features:  
ABC's 20/20
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Aaron Freeman Show
Justice Files, Discovery Channel
Chicago Tribune, Front Page of Metro Section
Daily Herald, Front Page
Chicago Sun Times, Front Page
Kane County Chronicle
Court TV
Hannity & Colmes, Fox News Channel
Washington Post
New York Times
CNN Headline News
Boston Globe
Houston Chronicle
Christian Science Monitor
WGN Television
WLS Television
WMAQ Television
WBBM Television
Fox Television, Chicago
MSNBC News Channel
CLTV News Channel
Road & Track Magazine, February 2002
Reason Magazine
Financial Times (US & London Editions) 2004
Lawyers Weekly USA 2004
Over 229 Newspapers across America
Over 75 Radio Interviews across America

Recent Seminars Presented:

Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois DUI Issues, 2005

Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Illinois DUI Testing, 2005

"DUI & Field Sobriety Testing: A Practical Guide for Defense Attorneys and Prosecutors" Chicago Bar Association, March 3, 2004

"DUI Defense and Jury Trials" West Suburban Bar Association, October 2003

"DUI Forfeitures and Blood Testing" Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Champaign, IL, June 2003
  
"Field Sobriety Testing" 38th Illinois Traffic Conference, Bradley University, June 2003

"DUI and Blood Draws: A Practical Guide for the Defense" Chicago Bar Association, March 2003
  
"Standardized Field Sobriety Testing" Panel Discussion, Illinois State Bar Association, March & April 2003, Oak Brook and Springfield, IL
  
"Moderator, Illinois State Bar Association Field Sobriety Testing Panel, March & April 2003
 
"Field Sobriety Testing" Illinois State Bar Association, April, 2002, Springfield, IL

"Field Sobriety Testing" Illinois State Bar Association, March 2002, Oak Brook, IL

"Field Sobriety Testing" DuPage County Bar Association, February 2002

Criminal Law Seminar, DuPage County Bar Association, January 2002

NHTSA Certification Course Instructor, Wheaton, IL,   2002

Illinois Public Defenders Conference,   2002

Illinois Attorneys for Criminal Justice, 2002

"DUI Defense" DuPage County Bar Association, September 2001

"Pre-Trial Motions, Requests to Admit, and Bill of Particulars in DUI Cases", Illinois State Bar Association, March 2001 Oak Brook, Springfield, IL

"Practice Tips for the Prosecution and Defense of DUI", Illinois State Bar Association, February & March 2000

Kane County Violent Crimes Defense Seminar, Office of the State Appellate Defender, August 1999, Geneva, IL

"Closing Arguments in DUI Cases", Illinois State Bar Association, February and March 1999, Oak Brook and Bloomington, IL

"Secretary of State Hearings and Breath/Blood Alcohol Testing", Kane County Bar Association, February 1998

"Freedom of Information Act and Breathalyzer Repair Records", Illinois State Bar Association, April 1997, Springfield and Oak Brook, IL

Joint Civil/Criminal Law Seminar, DuPage County Bar Association,
January 1996

"Update on DUI Law", DuPage County Bar Association, October 1995

Law Practice Management Seminar, DuPage County Bar Association, September 1995

Civil/Criminal Joint Seminar, DCBA, April 1995

Criminal Law Seminar, Kane County Bar Association, March, 1995

Criminal Law Seminar, DuPage County Bar Association, Sept.1993
     
DuPage County Bar Association, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994

Ill. Dept. Public Health Breath Test Operators Conference, 1986-87-88 

Awards:
Outstanding Author, DuPage Bar Association   1992-1993
  
Columns:
DUI Corner, DuPage Bar Briefs

Certifications:
National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration Field Sobriety Student Course, San Francisco, California
National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration Field Sobriety
Instructor Course, Nashville, Tennessee   

Experience:   
Attended over 100 Criminal Defense and DUI Seminars
Defended over 7,000 DUI cases as an attorney
Tried over 500 DUI and Criminal Bench Trials
Tried over 100 DUI and Criminal Jury Trials
Written over 25 Appellate Briefs
2001 Graduate, National College of DUI Defense Summer Session
Qualified as an Expert on Standardized Field Sobriety Testing

2005 Graduate, National College for DUI Defense Summer Session.

Published Appeals:  

People v. C. (2d Dist. 2005)
Illinois v. Lidster 02-1060 United States Supreme Court 2004
People v. T.R. (2d. Dist. 2003)
People v. J.K. (2d. Dist. 2003)
People v. B. 337 Ill. App. 3d 526 (2d Dist. 2003)
City of Naperville v. S. 327 Ill. App. 3d 230 (2d Dist. 2002)
People v. O. 329 Ill. App. 3d 213 (2d Dist. 2002)
People v. P. 323 Ill. App. 3d 702 (2d 2001)  
People v. H. 312 Ill. App. 3d 319 (2d 2000)
People v. G. 313 Ill. App. 3d 902 (2d Dist. 2000)
People v. P.311 Ill. App. 3d 301 (2d Dist. 2000)
Village of Bloomingdale v. M. 309 Ill. App. 3d 389 (2d 1999)
People v. T. 297 Ill. App. 3d 7 (2d Dist. 1998)
People v. G. 293 Ill. App. 3d 873 (3rd Dist. 1997)
People v. B. 251 Ill. App. 3d 720 (2d dist. 1993)
People v. D. 247 Ill. App. 3d 625 (2d Dist. 1993)
People v. S. 236 Ill. App. 3d 1096 (2d Dist.1992)
People v. B. 220 Ill. App. 3d 839 (1st dist. 1991)
People v. L. 268 Ill. App. 3d 170 (2d Dist. 1991)
People v. K. 216 Ill. App. 3d 875 (2d Dist. 1991)
People v. B. 212 Ill. App. 3d 795 (1st Dist. 1991)
People v. K. 208 Ill. App. 3d 897 (2d Dist. 1991)
People v. M. 196 Ill. App. 3d 220 (2d Dist. 1990)
People v. L. 198 Ill. App. 3d 862 (1st Dist. 1990)
People v. T. 195 Ill. App. 3d 167 (2d Dist. 1990)
People v. S. 188 Ill. App. 3d 761 (2d Dist. 1989)
People v. P. 186 Ill. App. 3d 353 (2d Dist. 1989)
People v. E. 188 Ill. App. 3d 9 (2d Dist. 1989)

Trial Cases Reported:  
People v. B. 2-00-0932 (2d Dist. 2002)
People v. K. 254 Ill. App. 3d 215 (2d Dist. 1993)
 
Certification Courses Taught:
    
Instructor, NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Testing March 15-17, 2002, Wheaton, IL
     
Instructor, NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Testing October 2002, Wheaton, IL