The Law Office of Richard Wagner, A Professional Corporation, has enjoyed years of success defending misdemeanor and felony DUI defense clients in criminal cases and Mr. Wagner is ready to help you.
Richard Wagner DUI Attorney | Former Los Angeles Prosecutor
Richard Wagner DUI Attorney is the trusted name clients turn to for DUI defense in Orange County. His case results and client feedback reflect a consistent record of strategic representation.
If you are searching for an experienced DUI Lawyer Orange County, his background as a former Los Angeles DUI prosecutor provides valuable insight into how DUI cases are investigated and challenged.
With consistent 5-star reviews and recognition from legal organizations, Richard Wagner is known for delivering results in complex DUI cases.
“Richard was able to achieve an even better outcome for my case than what we initially thought was possible. I couldn’t be more grateful to him for this. I highly recommend hiring him.” J.P., Garden Grove
Richard Wagner | Former LA DUI Prosecutor
He will fight for you.
Richard Wagner has earned a reputation as an outstanding lawyer who has attained a high-degree of peer recognition.
Empowering you against the legal system while protecting your rights:
Including your Constitutional Right:
- to be represented by a California criminal defense attorney throughout all stages of the proceedings
- to produce evidence and witnesses on your own behalf
- against self-incrimination
- to testify on your own behalf
- to confront and cross-examine witnesses
- to a jury trial, where you would be presumed innocent, and could not be convicted unless 12 impartial jurors were convinced of your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
Priority #1: Zealous Advocacy, Protection Of Your Constitutional
Rights
- Battery on Police Officer
- Battery Against A Spouse Cohabitant
- Bench Warrants, Burglary
- Disturbing the Peace
- Disorderly Conduct
- Domestic Violence
- Driving on a Suspended License
- Drug Charges
- DUI’s
- Expungements
- Forgery
- Grand Theft
- Hit and Run
- Indecent Misdemeanors
- Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated Without Gross Negligence
- Violation of Protective Order.
When you hire Richard Wagner, your case becomes his case.
His past clients love working with him. He’s easy to reach and returns calls and emails promptly, using a user-friendly, double-encrypted online case management system that keeps clients informed with 24/7 access to their files.
Richard Wagner stands by a simple mission: to courageously represent people who feel they have nobody in their corner, and to fight for them at every stage of their case. He recognizes the serious personal and professional consequences a DUI case can have on his clients’ lives, and brings deep knowledge of DUI law and science to every case, from breath and blood testing to field sobriety tests and forensic toxicology.
The Criminal Defense Strikeforce is grounded by the words of the great American John Coltrane, who said,
“I want to be a force for real good. In other words. I know that there are bad forces, forces that bring suffering to others and misery to the world, but I want to be the opposite force. I want to be the force which is truly for good.”
Richard Wagner works with expert witnesses, skilled consultants, and private investigators to build a powerful defense. For over two and a half decades, he has been recognized as one of the best by successfully handling thousands of Orange County criminal defense and DUI cases, with results including not-guilty verdicts, acquittals, dismissals, and reductions of charges.
In one unforgettable trial, DUI Attorney Richard Wagner won a jury trial in Newport Beach for a woman accused by the Orange County DA of driving under the influence of alcohol and refusing to take a breath or blood test in Corona Del Mar.
West Covina Courthouse, 1427 W. Covina Pkwy., West Covina, CA 91790, the site of one of Attorney Wagner’s most significant DUI victories.
In another eventful case, DUI Attorney Richard Wagner got a man’s DUI dismissed after he was charged by the Los Angeles DA with drunk driving in the Compton Courthouse after two hung juries.
DUI Lawyer Richard Wagner won a jury trial in the West Covina Courthouse in Los Angeles County that very few lawyers, if any, would have had the courage to take to trial. CHP accused his client of speeding, almost colliding with the CHP patrol car, and having a BAC of .19% on the Datamaster breathalyzer. The jury was not convinced, however, and unanimously voted not guilty, to acquit, on all charges. Along with the acquittal, Mr. Wagner got his client’s DMV suspension set aside.
In another DUI case, Richard Wagner won a jury trial in Whittier for a man accused by the Los Angeles District Attorney of his 2nd DUI, defending against evidence his client caused a traffic accident, failed the FSTs, and had a BAC of .19% measured by a blood test.
DUI Attorney Richard Wagner’s victories include a complete dismissal of felony charges for his client facing significant state prison time and lifetime drug registration, accused by the San Bernardino District Attorney of second-degree commercial burglary, transportation of marijuana for sale, and possession of marijuana for sale in the San Bernardino Superior Court.
In another very important case, Richard Wagner persuaded the Los Angeles District Attorney to dismiss serious felony sex charges in Bellflower, avoiding prison and lifetime sex registration for his client.
DUI Lawyer Richard Wagner has defended clients in Federal Court in the Central and Southern Districts of the United States District Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and in all State courts throughout California.
He has successfully represented clients in criminal and DUI cases in Orange County, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Joaquin, San Bernardino, Riverside, Tulare, Imperial, and San Diego counties. Richard Wagner has defended clients in Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Idaho, and New Mexico.
Highly Rated and Reviewed DUI Defense Attorney
- 2025 – 2026 Super Lawyer Criminal Defense DUI/DWI
- Top 100 Lawyers by National Trial Lawyers
- Top One Percent Attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel
- Superb Attorney 10.0/10.0 Rating and 5-Star Reviews on AVVO
- 5-Star Reviews on Google
- 5-Star Reviews on Yelp
Richard Wagner is a member of the
- American Bar Association
- California DUI Lawyers Association
- California Attorneys for Criminal Justice
- California Public Defenders Association
- Independent Defense Counsel Office
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- National College for DUI Defense
- National Lawyers Guild
- National Trial Lawyers: Top 100
- National Association of Distinguished Counsel: Top One Percent
- Newport Harbor Bar Association
- Orange County Bar Association, Mandatory Fee Arbitration Committee, Community Outreach Committee, Lawyer Well-Being Committee
- State Bar of California
- William P. Gray Legion Lex American Inn of Court
Richard Wagner earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989 from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Richard Wagner earned his Juris Doctor law degree in 1998 from Chapman University School of Law in Orange, California.
In law school, examples of Richard Wagner’s academic excellence include the Law Review, the Dean’s Merit Scholarship, and the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence.
While a law student, Richard Wagner gained valuable legal work experience by serving as a law clerk at the Orange County Alternate Public Defenders Office and as a judicial extern to the Honorable Justice Edward Wallin (Ret.), California Court of Appeal in Santa Ana, California.
Richard Wagner passed the California Bar Exam on his first and only attempt.
For two years, Super Lawyer® Richard Wagner worked as a prosecutor in downtown Los Angeles for the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney.
While an LA City Prosecutor, Richard Wagner prosecuted thousands of criminal cases, including DUI, drunk driving, domestic violence, prostitution, vandalism, hit and run, assault and battery, and firearms cases in downtown LA.
Richard Wagner lectured at Parker Center (former LAPD headquarters) to police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department during the Impaired Driver Apprehension Program (IDAP) on “Case Preparation and Courtroom Testimony Training.” Richard Wagner also lectured at the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Trial Advocacy Project (TAP) in May 2000 and March 2001.
Since 2002, Richard Wagner has been in private practice. He is a well-respected Criminal Defense Attorney with extensive training in DUI defense. He focuses on defending DUI cases because he finds great satisfaction helping people who have no experience with the so-called criminal justice system.
DUIs are also the most difficult type of criminal case to defend. DUI cases are complicated because the witnesses are trained to write reports and how to testify with the ultimate goal of convicting you.
In 2006, he presented a lecture, “What to Do If You Are Arrested for Drunk Driving,” at Whittier Law School.
In choosing the best driving under the influence (DUI) lawyer, it is crucial that you choose a DUI Lawyer who has received specialized training in the defense of driving under the influence (DUI) cases. This should include successfully completing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) course.
Mr. Wagner uses his knowledge of Field Sobriety Tests for his clients’ benefit to defend DUI cases in Orange County.
In June 2026, Richard Wagner completed the hands-on 40-hour Forensic Chromatography XXXV: Theory and Practice course at Axion Analytical Laboratories in Chicago, earning a Certificate of Recognition from the Axion Training Institute, Inc. The course included four days of direct, hands-on operation of the gas chromatograph instruments used by crime labs, including the Orange County Crime Lab, to test blood samples for alcohol and drug content. Richard Wagner is listed among the Axion Forensic Chromatography graduates from across the United States and Canada. This training gives Richard Wagner the scientific foundation to identify and challenge weaknesses in the blood test evidence the prosecution plans to use against you.
Richard Wagner at Axion Analytical Laboratories, Chicago, completing hands-on forensic chromatography training on gas chromatograph instruments used by the Orange County Crime Lab.
Certificate of Recognition, Forensic Chromatography XXXV: Theory and Practice, Axion Training Institute, Inc., June 2026.
DUI lawyer Orange County Richard Wagner hands-on gas chromatograph training at Axion Analytical Laboratories forensic chromatography course
In addition to his praise-worthy representation of privately retained clients, DUI Lawyer Richard Wagner is a member of the Los Angeles County Superior Court panel of defense attorneys authorized and selected to accept court-appointed criminal and DUI cases through the Independent Defense Counsel Office (IDCO).
For help with your case and to get a DUI evaluation, call The Law Office of Richard Wagner for a Free Consultation at 714-721-4423. You will get an honest and frank discussion with DUI Attorney Richard Wagner about your case. Richard Wagner is very approachable and will give you the information you need to help you. He has helped thousands of people just like you.
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Richard Wagner Will Fight For You
Priority #1: Zealous Advocacy – Protection Of Your Constitutional Rights
The Law Office of Richard Wagner, A Professional Corporation, has enjoyed years of success defending clients in criminal cases, including: Battery on Police Officer, Battery Against A Spouse/ Cohabitant, Bench Warrants, Burglary, Disturbing the Peace, Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Violence, Driving on a Suspended License, Drug Charges, DUI, Expungements, Forgery, Grand Theft, Hit and Run, Indecent Misdemeanors, Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated Without Gross Negligence, Violation of Protective Order.
Including your Constitutional Right: