Ramsay Law Firm, PLLC

06/01/2026

Memorial Day is behind us, and the Fourth of July is coming up.

This is the time of year when we talk a lot about honoring veterans. At Ramsay Law Firm, we believe that means more than saying “thank you for your service.”

Sometimes it means standing next to a veteran in court.

Minnesota’s Veterans Restorative Justice Act gives qualifying veterans a chance to address the real issues behind a criminal charge, including PTSD, substance abuse, trauma, anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions connected to military service.

We recently handled a DWI case involving a veteran whose struggles with alcohol, anxiety, depression, and trauma were tied to his military service.

The goal was not to avoid accountability.

The goal was meaningful accountability: treatment, probation, supervision, and the chance to earn a dismissal without a conviction.

That matters.

A conviction can follow a person for years. For veterans willing to do the work, the law provides a path that recognizes both the seriousness of the charge and the reality of what many service members bring home.

We are honored to represent veterans in criminal court. They defended our freedoms. When they need help, we should be prepared to fight for theirs.

If you, a family member, or a close friend is a veteran facing criminal charges in Minnesota, call Ramsay Law Firm. Even if you are not sure whether the Veterans Restorative Justice Act applies, we may be able to help protect your future.

Learn more here:

We are honored to represent veterans in criminal court—men and women who have sacrificed to uphold our Constitution, protect our safety, and defend our freedoms. Through the Minnesota Veterans Restorative Justice Act (“Act”), many have secured second chances, receiving stays of adjudication th...

05/29/2026

A new peer-reviewed paper by Aaron Olson may become very important in Minnesota DWI litigation very soon.

The paper addresses a question that most people, including many lawyers and judges, have probably never considered:

Can GERD related coughing affect a breath alcohol test?

GERD and chronic cough are often connected. In some people, reflux-related microaspiration can bring small amounts of gastric contents into the throat, airway, or breath pathway. If that person has consumed alcohol, those gastric contents may contain ethanol.

That raises a serious forensic question: could coughing near the time of a breath test contaminate the sample?

Aaron’s paper discusses two case reports involving GERD related symptoms, coughing near the time of breath testing, and breath test expirograms with negative slopes consistent with mouth alcohol contamination. In plain English, the breath-test data itself showed signs that something other than deep lung breath may have affected the result.

Why does this matter now?

We expect the Minnesota Supreme Court to issue a critically important decision that could change what the State must prove before a breath test can be admitted into evidence. The Court requested additional amicus briefing after oral argument, and a significant amount of time has passed since those submissions. That suggests the Court may be preparing a decision with real consequences.

If the ruling requires the government to prove that breath testing was done properly, officers may have to follow their training, and the State may have to prove it.

That includes the observation period.

It may also include GERD, coughing, regurgitation, burping, throat clearing, and other medical or physiological issues that can affect whether a breath sample is reliable.

For years, breath tests have often been treated like simple numbers on a page. But forensic science is never that simple. The full record matters: medical history, video, officer observations, the observation period, testing procedure, and the expirogram data.

Aaron Olson’s paper may be coming at exactly the right time.

Breath testing is only reliable when the sample is reliable.

Forensic breath alcohol testing depends on contamination-free breath sampling. This case study describes two subjects with a history of gastro-oesophageal reflu...

05/28/2026

🚨 BREAKING NEWS! 🚨

Yesterday, we learned that Stearns County is no longer using breath testing in DWI cases.

Why? Breath test results are being thrown out of court because the government refuses to turn over the source code for the breath test machine.

Police are still enforcing DWI laws, but they are now using blood and urine tests instead of breath tests.

We’ll keep you posted as this develops.

05/27/2026

Big win for a Minnesota driver trapped in the ignition interlock extension cycle.

Our client was facing months of additional ignition interlock time because of alleged missed rolling retests.

For many drivers, ignition interlock extensions are not a minor inconvenience. They can mean years of added costs, years of restricted driving, years of stress, and years of living one alleged violation away from starting over again.

And too often, those extensions are based on things that do not prove impaired driving.

False positives.
Equipment problems.
Missed rolling recalls.
Alleged violations that do not tell the whole story.

This case was different because we fought back.

Ramsay Law Firm attorney Daniel Koewler challenged the Commissioner’s decision to extend our client’s revocation period, arguing that the extension was arbitrary, unreasonable, and not legally justified. Our paralegal, Kim, was instrumental in helping pull this victory together.

The court granted our client’s petition.

Ignition interlock is supposed to be a path back to lawful driving. It should not become a never-ending punishment machine.

When the State tries to add years to someone’s interlock obligation based on unfair or unreliable allegations, drivers have the right to challenge it.

We are proud to have helped this client protect their license, their livelihood, and their future.

05/27/2026

“I believe you brought some honor back to your profession.”

Those words mean more to us than we can adequately express.

We are tremendously grateful for this thoughtful thank you card from a former client after we got his driver’s license reinstated and the criminal charges against him dismissed.

At Ramsay Law Firm, we know every case involves more than police reports, court dates, and legal arguments. Behind every case is a real person facing stress, uncertainty, and fear about what comes next.

That is why we take pride not only in fighting for the best possible result, but also in making sure our clients feel heard, respected, and supported every step of the way.

Thank you, Timothy, for your kind words and your trust in our team. Messages like this, and 5-star reviews from the people we serve, mean the world to us.

They remind us why we do this work.

Congratulations, Caleb and Shelley, on your outstanding efforts for this and every client.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

05/26/2026

CLE credits APPROVED!
5.5 regular credits.
0.5 ethics credits.
(Based on a 60-minute hour.)

⚖️ 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗪𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

This year’s MSCJ seminar is built around the real work of DWI defense, not theory, not recycled slides.

We hit every phase of a DWI case, from pretrial motions to closing argument, with a focus on what actually moves the needle:
• spotting issues early
• tightening cross of officers and experts
• making better record decisions
• delivering arguments that land

Expect shorter, high-impact presentations packed with critical information, designed to keep things moving and maximize what you take away.

We also cover the latest case law updates and legislative changes that directly impact your practice.

You will hear candid insight from attorneys who regularly try these cases, including what has worked, what has failed, and what they do differently now.

If you are walking into DWI trials without constantly refining your approach, you are falling behind the attorneys who are.

📅 Friday, June 5, 2026
📍 CHS Field, St. Paul

Early bird pricing ends soon. Secure your spot now.

Register now for the reduced early bird rate:

https://payit2.com/e/mscj40th

Speakers include:
Daniel Koewler
Chuck Ramsay
Aaron Olson
Sheridan
Barry S. Edwards
Island
Segal
Christina Zauhar Anderson
Latz
Risk

05/22/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘄 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆.

Their courage, sacrifice, and devotion to freedom will never be forgotten.

Wishing everyone a safe and meaningful Memorial Day.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿. 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿. 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁.

05/22/2026

A DWI charge is not a conviction.

A Minnesota police officer was fired after being charged with DWI. Not convicted. Charged.

Maybe he is guilty. Maybe he is not. We don't know yet.

That is why the presumption of innocence matters.

Too many things can go wrong in a DWI case. Was it a bad test? Was the stop legal? Were his constitutional rights violated? Did someone get it wrong?

We do know this: the Constitution does not have a DWI exception.

The presumption of innocence belongs to everyone, including this officer. He should get the same constitutional protections that so many others have paid the price to preserve.

DWI cases have become the place where punishment often starts before proof. Job gone. License problems. Reputation damaged. Public embarrassment.

All before a conviction.

That's backward.

A charge is not proof.

When you absolutely, positively have to beat a DWI charge, call Ramsay Law Firm.

We're your best defense.

Kenneth Gallion was fired from the Chatfield police force at an emergency city council meeting Thursday, May 21, according to Chatfield Police Chief Scott Keigley.

05/22/2026

The lab was wrong. A man spent nearly 18 months in jail.

Prosecutors dismissed a DWI case after saying it relied on bad science.

The case involved a fatal crash, so there is nothing about this that feels like a “win.” Someone died. A family is grieving. And the man charged in the case spent almost a year and a half in jail before the charges were dropped.

According to ABC7 Chicago, the original lab test showed Derek Drake’s THC level at more than double the legal limit. But later testing by another lab reportedly showed he was actually well below the legal limit.

This is exactly why defense lawyers ask for the underlying data.

A lab report can look very official. It can sound final. But it is only as good as the method, the instrument, the analyst, and the quality system behind it.

Drug DUI cases are especially tricky because toxicology does not always answer the legal question the way people assume it does. A number on a report does not automatically prove impairment.

This case is a reminder that the courtroom cannot just outsource truth to a laboratory.

The science still has to hold up.

There is no "Trust me" in science!

Congratulations to our friend and colleague, Don Ramsell, who played an instrumental role in exposing the lab's shenanigans.

A driver charged in a fatal crash pleaded not guilty and spent nearly a year and a half behind bars as the case crawled through court. Those charges have now been dropped.

05/21/2026

Only 11 lawyers were selected in criminal defense for the 2026 Minnesota Legal 250.

Ramsay Law Firm was the only firm with multiple criminal defense attorneys named.

Chuck and Daniel are grateful to be recognized by Minnesota Lawyer in its premier recognition program honoring influential and accomplished attorneys across the state.

But the honor belongs to more than two names.

It reflects the work of a team that shows up every day for people facing some of the hardest moments of their lives.

Criminal defense is personal. It involves freedom, reputation, family, future, and the power of the government. That responsibility is never lost on us.

We are grateful to our clients, our team, our colleagues, our mentors, and the Minnesota legal community.

Thank you, Minnesota.