I became a prosecutor in 1997, the year I was admitted to the Illinois Bar. I spent the next eight years with the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, first in the misdemeanor, traffic and DUI courtrooms and then in the felony trial division, which I went on to supervise. From 2005 to 2010 I was the Village of Downers Grove’s prosecutor, appointed a Special Assistant State’s Attorney by the DuPage County State’s Attorney. Over those 13 years I handled more than 10,000 DUI cases and took hundreds of cases to verdict.
Today I’m the managing partner for criminal defense at Dolci Weiland & Sendlak. I defend people charged with DUI, misdemeanors and felonies in DuPage, Kane, Will, Kendall and Cook counties. Alex Sendlak and I have worked together since 2015, and we were friends for several years before that. I’ve been practicing law since 1997, and the first part of that career shapes almost everything about how I handle the second.
Career at a Glance
- 1997 to 1999
Assistant State's Attorney
DuPage County misdemeanor, traffic and DUI courtrooms, as the office's lead misdemeanor DUI prosecutor.
- 1999 to 2004
Felony Trial Division
Murder cases, aggravated DUI cases involving multiple deaths, and major insurance fraud and theft cases. The office's only prosecutor handling child pornography cases, and its liaison to the law enforcement task forces on them.
- 2004 to 2005
Felony Trial Division Supervisor
Supervised the division and was assigned to a capital murder case.
- 2005 to 2010
Downers Grove Village Prosecutor
Appointed a Special Assistant State's Attorney by the DuPage County State's Attorney.
- 2011 to 2025
Founding Partner, Dolci & Weiland
- Since December 2025
Managing Partner, Dolci Weiland & Sendlak
Criminal defense in DuPage, Kane, Will, Kendall and Cook counties.
Police Academy Instructor
Taught prospective officers DUI arrests and procedures at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy from 1999 to 2001.
DUI Death Seminars
Led seminars for law enforcement on collecting and preserving evidence in DUI cases involving deaths.
Identity Theft Task Force
Founded the county's Financial Identity Theft Task Force.
Federal Liaison
Served as the State's Attorney's Office liaison to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
In Downers Grove, I appeared in the police department’s DUI training video, which became its standard for DUI stops and arrests, and I helped rewrite the village’s DUI prosecution policy manual.
What Changed When I Switched Sides
As a prosecutor, my job was to read a police report and decide what the State could prove. I made charging decisions, chose which cases to try and which to reduce, and prepared witnesses for trial. Later I supervised the felony trial division.
Teaching DUI arrests at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy gave me a second view of the same process. I saw how officers are trained to conduct a stop, write a report and testify about what they observed.
On the defense side, I use the same habits for a different purpose. I read the report the way I used to, looking for what the State has to prove and where the proof is thin. I compare the report with the video, the lab work and the paperwork, line by line. I prepare each case from the start as if it’s going to trial, because that’s how you find out what a fair resolution looks like.
The biggest change is who I’m talking to. A prosecutor works with officers, victims and the file. Now I sit across the table from the person whose name is on the charge, usually during one of the worst weeks they’ve had, and my first job is to explain clearly what’s happening and what their options are.
What a First Meeting With Me Looks Like
We start with your paperwork and the next date on it, because that date sets the pace for everything else. Then I ask you to tell me what happened in your own words, without worrying about what sounds good or bad. I’ll want to know what matters most to you outside the courtroom, such as your job, your driver’s license, a professional license, your immigration status or your family.
From there, I explain the charge in plain terms: what the State has to prove, the range of possible outcomes and what usually comes next in that courtroom. I tell you which records I plan to request, such as the police report, squad and body camera video and any test results. My goal is for you to leave knowing the realistic options and what decision, if any, is yours to make first.
Where I Practice and What I Handle
I handle cases at the DuPage County Courthouse and Administration Building in Wheaton and in the courts of Kane, Will, Kendall and Cook counties. They include:
- DUI, from first offenses to felony aggravated DUI
- Drug charges
- White-collar cases
- Violent crimes, up to homicide
- Misdemeanors such as domestic battery, retail theft and driving on a suspended license
Memberships
- Illinois State Bar Association
- DuPage County Bar Association
Education and Admissions
- J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1997
- B.A., University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1994
- Admitted to the Illinois Bar, 1997
I’m in good standing with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, with no public disciplinary history.