Shawn Dominy

Shawn Dominy-Criminal Defense Attorney & DUI / OVI Defense Lawyer In Columbus, Ohio

Shawn Dominy is the founding attorney of the Dominy Law Firm, located in Columbus, Ohio.  He helps clients charged with DUI / OVI, criminal offenses, and serious vehicular crimes like vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.  This page of the website is designed to give you more background information about about Shawn Dominy. 

Recognition/Awards

Shawn Dominy has been repeatedly selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America®; one of only two lawyers in the state of Ohio named to Best Lawyers for both DUI/OVI defense and criminal defense.  He is also the recipient of the   Best Lawyers in America® ‘Lawyer of the Year’ award for DUI/OVI defense. Mr. Dominy is named in the Super Lawyers® list for Ohio, a list which recognizes only 5% of exceptional lawyers in each state.  He was also selected by Super Lawyers® and Columbus Monthly magazine as one of the top 50 lawyers in Columbus, a city with over 8,000 lawyers.  In 2022, Shawn received the Leadership Award from the National College for DUI Defense.

Shawn Dominy holds the highest possible rating (AV-Preeminent®) for ethical standards and professional ability from the national Martindale-Hubbell legal directory. He is also repeatedly named a Top Lawyer by Columbus CEO Magazine. In addition, he holds a 10.0 rating on a scale of 1.0 to 10.0 from Avvo.com, and he is the recipient of Avvo’s Client Choice Award.

Formal Education

Shawn Dominy grew up in central Ohio and attended Olentangy Schools. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993 from The Ohio State University, where he studied criminology and political science. He graduated from The O.S.U. Moritz College of Law in 1997 and scored in the top five percent on Ohio’s bar exam.

Professional Experience

During law school, Shawn Dominy worked for a Columbus attorney with a practice focused on criminal defense and DUI / OVI defense. After graduating from law school in 1997, he formed a partnership with that attorney. In 1999, Shawn Dominy established the Dominy Law Firm, focusing on DUI/OVI defense and criminal defense. He has represented thousands of clients charged with DUI/OVI and criminal offenses, and his cases have ranged from speeding tickets to murder indictments, and everything in between. In 2002, he began proactively developing expertise in the area of DUI/OVI defense. Shawn Dominy has taken dozens of cases through suppression hearings and jury trials, and he has obtained a lot of favorable results, as you can see on the ‘Case Results’ page. Although he does not currently handle appeals, he has in the past represented clients in Ohio appellate Courts and the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Continuing Education

Formal education at law school should be the beginning, not the end, of an attorney’s training.  To achieve expertise in an area of law, ongoing education is crucial.  Shawn Dominy regularly participates in national seminars on the topics of DUI/OVI and criminal law, and he frequently speaks at seminars where he teaches other Ohio attorneys about DUI/OVI.   Shawn Dominy’s training specific to Ohio DUI/OVI includes the following:

• D.W.I. Means Defend With Integrity, National College for D.U.I. Defense, Annually (2005-present)
• DWI Detection And Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Internsational Association Of  Chiefs Of Police (IACP), 2005.
• Basic Science of Evidential Breath Alcohol Testing and BAC DataMaster, National Patent Analytical Systems, 2007
• Summer Session at Harvard University, National College for D.U.I. Defense, 2007
• Speak Like A Leader, Homoly Communications Institute, 2009
• Winter Session at Atlantis, National College for D.U.I. Defense, 2009
• Blood & Urine Testing Using Gas Chromatography, Lyons & Lyons, 2010
• Intoxilyzer 8000, Zager Forensics, 2011
• Summer Session at Harvard University, National College for D.U.I. Defense, 2012
• Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the International Association Of  Chiefs Of Police (IACP), 2014
• Forensic Gas Chromatography, American Chemical Society, 2015
• Summer Session at Harvard University, National College for D.U.I. Defense, 2017
• DWI Detection And SFST Instructor Course, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2021.
• Summer Session at Harvard University (moved to Chicago), National College for D.U.I. Defense, 2022

Professional Organizations

Shawn Dominy is the Past President of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, an organization of about 700 Ohio lawyers dedicated to protecting the rights of the accused.  He is Ohio’s state delegate to the National College for DUI Defense and received that organization’s Leadership Award in 2022.  Shawn is a founding member of the national DUI Defense Lawyers Association, and a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Dominy is also a member of the Ohio Bar Association (Civics Education Advisory Council and Indigent Defense Task Force), the Columbus Bar Association (former chair of the Criminal Law Committee), and the Delaware County Bar Association. In addition, he is a member of the Central Ohio Better Business Bureau (A+ rating) and the Powell Area Chamber Of Commerce.

Publications

Attorneys with expertise in a certain area of law may or may not be published authors.  Shawn Dominy’s writings have been published in books, magazines, newspapers, and online articles, including the following:

• Ohio DUI/OVI Guide, Rivers Edge Publishing, 2021
• Ohio Vehicular Homicide Guide, Rivers Edge Publishing, 2021
• Ohio Vehicular Assault Guide, Rivers Edge Publishing, 2021
• Drunk Driving Defense, 9th Edition, Sleep Driving, Automatism, and Ambien® chapter, Walters Kluwer, 2021
• Defending DUI Vehicular Homicide Cases, Settlement Strategies For DUI Vehicular Homicide Cases chapter, Aspatore Publishing, 2012
• New Ohio Law Will Permit Officers to Stop Drivers Holding Cell Phones, C.B.A. ‘Legal Connections’, 2023
• Sleep Driving, Automatism, and Ambien®, N.A.C.D.L. ‘The Champion’, 2021
• Impact of Ohio DUI/OVI on Insurance Rates, O.S.B.A. Small/Solo Newsletter, 2021
• Takeout Alcoholic Drinks in Ohio: One for the Road?, O.S.B.A. Law You Can Use, 2021
• Touch But Don’t Cross: Marked Lanes and Traffic Stops, O.S.B.A. Small/Solo Newsletter, 2021
• Smoke On The Water:  Roadside Testing Of THC In Oral Fluid, O.A.C.D.L. ‘The Vindicator’, 2020
• Field Sobriety Tests: What Do They Really Measure?, O.A.C.D.L. ‘The Vindicator’, 2018
• Terminating The A.L.S. In O.V.I. Cases:  The Inherent Power Of The Judiciary, O.A.C.D.L. ‘The Vindicator’, 2018
• Annie’s Law Aims To Reduce Drunk Driving In Ohio, C.B.A. ‘Legal Connections’, 2017
• Chemical Alcohol Test:  An Offer You Can’t Refuse?, O.A.C.D.L. ‘The Vindicator’, 2016
• Operating A Vehicle Under The Influence Of Marijuana, O.S.B.A. Law You Can Use, 2016
• Sobriety Checkpoints Are Constitutional, O.S.B.A. Law You Can Use, 2015
• Drug Trafficking Laws Invoke Serious Consequences, O.S.B.A. Law You Can Use, 2015
• Law Provides Real Consequences For Counterfeit Controlled Substances, O.S.B.A. Law You Can Use, 2015
• Drug Trafficking, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel & Gallipolis Daily Tribune, 2012
• Counterfeit Controlled Substances, Akron Legal News, 2009
• Drug Trafficking Laws, Daily Reporter, 2009
• Sobriety Checkpoints, Continental News Review, 2008
• Plea Bargaining In The Wake of the Howe Decision, Columbus Bar Lawyers Quarterly, 2007

Classes & Seminars Taught

Although it is not necessary for an attorney to teach classes and seminars to have expertise in an area of law, being asked to teach, especially to other lawyers, is some evidence of an attorney’s expertise.  Shawn Dominy has made presentations at several seminars, including the following: 

• Preparing for Motion Hearings, O.A.C.D.L., 2023
• The Missing Link: TCH, FSTs, & DUI, D.W.I. Means Defend With Integrity, Las Vegas, N.C.D.D., 2022
• The Basics of DUI Science, myLawCLE, 2021
• Connect the Dots: FSTs, THC & OVI, O.A.C.D.L, 2021
• Roadside THC Testing and Ambien & Automatism, Mastering Scientific Evidence, New Orleans, N.C.D.D., 2021
• Ambien & Automatism, Sunshine Seminar, 2020
• Roadside THC Testing, Sunshine Seminar, 2020
• OVI On The Quick, Sunshine Seminar, 2019
• 50 Ways To Leave Your A.L.S. Lover, O.S.B.A., 2018
• The Blackout Defense In OVI Cases, O.A.C.D.L., 2018
• O.V.I. Update, C.O.A.C.D.L., 2017
• Annie’s Law, Mayor’s Court Training, O.M.L., 2017
• Trial Skills Instructor, D.U.I.D.L.A., Charleston, SC, 2017
• Trial Skills Academy Instructor, O.A.C.D.L., 2017
• The Impact Of The Birchfield Decision, O.S.B.A., 2016
• The Impact Of The Birchfield Decision, C.B.A., 2016
• Trial Skills Academy Instructor, O.A.C.D.L., 2016
• ABCs of Addressing Belated Charges, O.A.C.D.L., 2016
• Are Ohio OVI Marijuana Laws Constitutional, O.S.B.A., 2015
• Are Ohio OVI Marijuana Laws Constitutional, C.B.A., 2015
• Trial Skills Academy Instructor, O.A.C.D.L., 2015
• Hunting For Treasure In ODH Manuals, O.A.C.D.L., 2015
• Presenting A GERD Defense, C.B.A., 2014
• Trial Skills Academy Instructor, O.A.C.D.L., 2014
• The Lancaster Case In Marietta, O.A.C.D.L., 2014
• The Intoxilyzer 8000 Is Struck Down Again, O.S.B.A., 2013
• State v Lancaster May Affect Ohio Breath Testing, C.B.A., 2013
• OVI In Juvenile Court, C.B.A., 2013
• Trial Skills Academy Instructor, O.A.C.D.L., 2013
• Field Sobriety Testing Studies & How To Use Them, O.A.C.D.L., 2013
• Intoxilyzer 8000 Trends And Issues, O.A.C.D.L., 2013
• The NHTSA Manual Isn’t Just Valuable At Trial, C.B.A., 2012
• Things You May Not Know About The NHTSA Manual, O.S.B.A., 2012
• Trial Skills Workshop Instructor, O.A.C.D.L., 2012
• Don’t Get Bullied, C.B.A., 20111
• Role Of Defense Attorney In Sex Cases, ONG V.A. Training, 2011
• Rule 16 In OVI Cases, O.S.B.A., 2011
• Strategies In Defending D.U.I. Cases, Lorman, 2011
• Motions In OVI Cases, O.A.C.D.L., 2011
• Discovery In OVI Cases, Mahoning County Bar Association, 2010
• Discovery In OVI Cases, C.B.A., 2010
• DUI Trial, Lyons & Lyons Mock Trial Seminar, 2010
• Detaining Drivers For OVI, O.S.B.A., 2009
• Understanding Breath Testing Machines, C.B.A., 2009
• Reasonable Suspicion, Probable Cause, and FSTS, Lorman, 2009
• S.C.R.A.M., O.A.C.D.L., 2009
• Breath Testing Permits, O.A.C.D.L., 2008
• S.C.R.A.M., Ohio State Bar Association, 2008
• Drugged Driving, C.B.A., 2007

Practice Areas

Shawn Dominy’s practice is focused on representing clients charged with criminal offenses, DUI/OVI and serious vehicular crimes like vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. He does not practice other areas of law and handle an occasional DUI/OVI or criminal case: this is all he does, and he enjoys his work.

Geographic Areas

From his law office in Columbus, Ohio, Shawn Dominy practices DUI/OVI defense in courts throughout central Ohio, including the following counties: Crawford County, Delaware County, Fairfield County, Fayette County, Franklin County, Knox County, Licking County, Logan County, Madison County, Marion County, Morrow County, Pickaway County, Union County, and Wyandot County. He practices in Municipal Courts, Common Pleas Courts, and Mayor’s Courts.

Consultation

If you would like more information about the Dominy Law Firm, please see the About Us page.  If you would like to talk with Shawn Dominy about your DUI/OVI case or criminal case, please submit a CONTACT FORM or call 614-717-1177 to arrange an initial phone consultation at no cost.

Certifications