Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner is a trial attorney focused exclusively on DUI defense throughout Orange County, California.

Mr. Wagner personally handles DUI defense matters through Criminal Defense Strike Force, where as an Orange County DUI attorney he has spent more than 27 years personally handling every case from arraignment through trial. As a DUI defense attorney Orange County clients trust, his practice involves complex evidentiary and scientific issues, including blood and breath testing, forensic toxicology, and cross-examination of law enforcement and forensic witnesses.

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.

Richard Wagner gained valuable legal work experience while a law student 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, Richard Wagner worked as a prosecutor in downtown Los Angeles for the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney.

While a 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, Trial Advocacy Project (TAP) in May 2000 and March 2001.

Since 2002, Richard Wagner has been in private practice as a DUI lawyer Irvine and Orange County clients rely on, a well-respected Criminal Defense Attorney with extensive training in DUI defense.

Richard Wagner has been recognized by Super Lawyers, selected as one of the nation’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and rated “Superb” (10.0/10.0) by AVVO.

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 Southern California.

In addition to his praise-worthy representation of privately retained clients, DUI Lawyer Richard Wagner is listed on the panel of defense attorneys authorized and selected to accept court-appointed criminal and DUI cases through the Independent Defense Counsel Office (IDCO), established under the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office.

December 8, 1998, California

Richard Wagner received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1989, and his Juris Doctor from the Fowler School of Law at Chapman University in 1998.

Richard Wagner has completed Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) training under the standards established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). He has received extensive training in the administration and evaluation of field sobriety testing, which is critical in the defense of DUI cases.

Richard Wagner has also completed the hands-on 40-hour Forensic Chromatography XXXV: Theory and Practice course at Axion Analytical Laboratories, earning a Certificate of Recognition from the Axion Training Institute, Inc. This training gives him the scientific foundation to identify and challenge weaknesses in blood test evidence.

This training is applied extensively in the cross-examination of law enforcement officers and forensic experts in both court proceedings and DMV Administrative Per Se (APS) hearings, which often serve as the initial forum for developing DUI defenses.

Mr. Wagner is the owner of DUI Lawyer Orange County, where he personally handles DUI defense matters throughout Orange County, including major jurisdictions such as Irvine, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange, Mission Viejo, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Westminster, and Tustin.

He also represents clients arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in South Orange County communities including Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, and Dana Point.

Mr. Wagner began his legal career in 1998 as a DUI prosecutor in downtown Los Angeles for the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, prosecuting thousands of criminal cases including DUI, drunk driving, domestic violence, prostitution, vandalism, hit and run, assault and battery, and firearms cases. Since 2002, he has been in private practice as a DUI defense attorney.

Mr. Wagner appears regularly at all four Orange County DUI courts: the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, the North Justice Center in Fullerton, and the West Justice Center in Westminster.

He also regularly represents clients arrested in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Riverside Counties, and has handled cases in Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Joaquin, San Bernardino, Tulare, Imperial, and San Diego Counties. He is licensed to practice throughout the State of California, and defends clients in Federal Court in the Central and Southern Districts of the United States District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal.

Mr. Wagner’s practice covers the full range of DUI-related matters, including first, second, and third DUI offenses, felony DUI and DUI causing injury, Watson DUI murder, vehicular manslaughter, drug and marijuana DUI, DMV administrative hearings, field sobriety test defense, and DUI expungement, along with related criminal defense matters including hit and run, domestic violence, and theft offenses.

Richard Wagner is a trial attorney who has been repeatedly recognized for his work in DUI defense. He has been selected as one of the nation’s Top 100 Lawyers by National Trial Lawyers and included among the Top One Percent Attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

Mr. Wagner has been rated by Super Lawyers from 2025 to 2027 for Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI, and holds a Superb Attorney 10.0/10.0 Rating and 5-Star Reviews on AVVO.

Mr. Wagner has earned a 5.0 average rating across 61 Google Reviews and holds 5-Star Reviews on Yelp.

Richard Wagner is a member of the American Bar Association, the California DUI Lawyers Association, the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and the California Public Defenders Association.

Mr. Wagner is also a member of the Independent Defender Program, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National College for DUI Defense, the National Lawyers Guild, the National Trial Lawyers: Top 100, and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel: Top One Percent.

Richard Wagner is also a member of the Newport Harbor Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Association, Mandatory Fee Arbitration Committee, Community Outreach Committee, and Lawyer Well-Being Committee, the State Bar of California, and the William P. Gray Legion Lex American Inn of Court.

• 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 DUI of alcohol and refusing to take a breath or blood test in Corona Del Mar.
• In another eventful case, DUI Attorney Richard Wagner got a man’s DUI dismissed after he was charged by the Los Angeles DA with DUI and driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more, 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 dared 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) dismissed.
• In another DUI case, Richard Wagner won a jury trial in Whittier for a man accused by the LA District Attorney of DUI with a prior DUI conviction, defending against evidence his client caused a traffic accident, failed the FSTs, and had a BAC of .19% measured by a blood test.

Mr. Wagner’s full record of case results is available at criminaldefensestrikeforce.com/case-results.

• Volunteered as an Attorney-Scorer for Round 1 of CRF-OC’s Middle School Moot Court program at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Santa Ana.
• Volunteered through the Orange County Bar Association’s Community Outreach Committee at the Spring Food Packaging Volunteer Event with the Orange County Food Bank, the Laura’s House Donation Center Volunteer Event, and the OCBA Someone Cares Soup Kitchen event.
• Volunteered as an Attorney-Scorer for CRF-OC’s Mock Trial Competition at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
• Volunteered as an Attorney-Scorer for CRF-OC’s Middle School Moot Court program at the United States District Court in Santa Ana.
• Volunteered through the Orange County Bar Association’s Community Outreach Committee to visit children at the Orangewood Children and Family Center and to organize a holiday cookie decorating event there, and volunteered at an OC Animal Care drive-thru pet pantry event.
• Volunteered through the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Cannabis Justice Initiative, pursuing relief for a client convicted of federal cannabis crimes by filing a pro bono clemency petition.