Stephen Patrick Pfeiffer
Your Go-To DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyer
Stephen P. Pfeiffer is known locally as the “Go-To-DUI and Criminal Defense Attorney.” Stephen is a partner at Wolcott Rivers Gates, one of the oldest and largest law firms in Virginia Beach. He has been published as a coauthor in the nationally recognized “Inside the Minds” series by Aspatore Books on The Legality of Search and Seizure in DUI Cases “A Practitioner’s Everyday Insight Into DWI/DUI Defense in Virginia”.
Stephen has an AV® Preeminent Rating – the highest rating available from Martindale-Hubbell, the leading independent attorney rating entity. An AV® Rating signifies that the lawyer has reached the heights of professional excellence. Stephen was selected as a member of the National College of DUI Defense Attorneys and has been recognized as one of the top 100 DUI attorneys in Virginia by the National Advocacy for DUI Defense. Additionally, he is consistently recognized as one of Virginia's Legal Elite by Virginia Business Magazine as well as being selected as a "Rising Star" by Virginia Super Lawyers. Recently Stephen was selected as Top 40 Under 40 Criminal Defense Lawyers for Virginia by the American Society of Legal Advocates.
Stephen is a founding member of the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys. He has also recently received recognition from the NACDA as a "Top 10 Under 40" for DUI Defense. Additionally, Stephen has been named a "Top Lawyer" by Coastal Virginia Magazine. He was the American Bar Association's 2007 National Champion in Legal Negotiations and serves as an adjunct professor at Regent University School of Law.
- DUI & DWI
- Manslaughter
- Free Consultation
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Virginia
- 4th Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Eastern & Western Districts of Virginia
- English: Spoken, Written
- Spanish: Spoken, Written
- Partner & Marketing Chair
- Wolcott Rivers Gates
- - Current
- Adjunct Professor
- Regent University School of Law
- -
- Law Clerk
- Maricopa County District Attorney's Office
- Regent University School of Law
- J.D. (2007) | Law
- cum laude; Dispute Resolutions Academic Board; Entertainment and Sports Law Society Board; Vice-President of University Student Body; 2007 ABA National Legal Negotiations Champion
- Carroll College
- B.A. (2004) | History & Political Science
- summa cum laude; Student Senator; Varsity Football, Varsity Football Defensive Captain, All Conference Linebacker; History Honors Society; Political Science Honors Society
- AV Preeminent Peer Rating
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Super Lawyer
- Super Lawyers
- 10.0 Superb Rating
- Avvo
- Client Champion - PLATINUM
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Hampton
- Expertise.com
- Norfolk Bar Association
- Member
- Current
- Portsmouth Bar Association
- Member
- Current
- American Bar Association
- Member
- Current
- Virginia Law Foundation
- Fellow
- Current
- American Association of Premmier DUI Attorneys
- Founding Member
- - Current
- How to Find the Right Attorney for a DWI / DUI Charge
- Avvo Legal Guide
- Virginia Beach DUI or DWI
- Avvo Legal Guide
- Virginia DUI Breath Tests and the 20 Minute Observation
- Avvo Legal Guide
- 3 Little Known Facts About Field Sobriety Tests
- Avvo Legal Guide
- DUI Defense, DUI Bootcamp, Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Association
- Landlord's Rights and Options When the Deal Goes Bad, Landlord Tenant Law, Surviving in a Difficult Economy
- Legal Foundations, SEVCAI's Board Member Boot CAMP
- Ethical Consideration in Landlord/Tenant Law, Landlord Tenant Law
- Navigating the Service Members Relief Act, Debt Collections
- Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) Certificate
- Recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Certificate
- Recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Q. If I already signed a plea agreement restricting my license for 12 months can I change it to 6 months
- A: You would need to file a motion to reopen if still in the appropriate timeframe to do so and ask the court to change the order. The problem is the DMV and ASAP will most likely restart the clock. You should contact your original attorney.
- Q. I want to ask a judge to change a court order made in a plea agreement years ago; can I use the Motion to Amend/Review?
- A: You will most likely have no success in doing that because it was plea between you and the Commonwealth which is basically a contract. Additionally, you are well beyond the time to appeal or reopen your case.
- Q. Is the smell of alcohol and having "glassy eyes" sufficient probable cause to make arrest on a Drunk In Public charge?
- A: There is certainly a fertile argument, that he was not impaired without a visible effect to his muscular, skeletal movement.