What do you do if you are Arrested Near the Courthouse After Making a Court Appearance Related to a Los Angeles DUI? We see this a lot. There's something called the H20 squad which is basically a group of law enforcement — part of the arm of law enforcement — that tries to stop people from drivi...
At a check point, the police map out an area where they think a lot of DUI drivers will be driving through. They set up their machines to test drivers' breath and assign people to take blood because drivers have a choice of breath or blood testing. They set up a perimeter and have law enforcement...
Typically, all of the courts in Los Angeles county, and there's a lot of them, will negotiate deals other than DUI's if you actually blew on the legal limit and the reason for that is because the machine that they're using — usually the breath machine — has an error rate of .02 either way. So, th...
This is a big question on a lot of people's mind. Do they want their attorney to talk to the prosecutor about working out some sort of a deal for them related to their DUI charges pending against them in Los Angeles county? For me, it's real easy if the client has a good case that the prosecutor...
For many years that I've been practicing, a DUI would stay on your record for criminal purposes for seven years, but the law changed quite some time ago. So, now in today's society, a DUI stays on your record for criminal purposes for ten years. Meaning, if you pick up a DUI and you have prior D...
The bottom line is, if you do something that causes a probation violation in a DUI case, you're going to get punished by the judge who originally sentenced you in your case. That punishment will depend on what the violation relates to. If you get a new DUI, that would be a severe violation of your probation...
This is a good question because just like in any profession, not all lawyers are the same. Not all of them have the same experience. Not all of them have the same qualifications. Also, and not all of them have the disposition that you're going to need to deal with the prosecutor and deal with t...
California Vehicle Code 14601.2. This is a very common offense that I represent clients for throughout Los Angeles county and the various courthouses related to DUI cases. I've been doing it now for 25 years and this is definitely something that the police target. Driving on suspended license fo...
If someone's driving under the influence of alcohol or prescription medication or a combination of both or marijuana, any type of narcotic or substance that impacts your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle and you kill somebody and it looks like it's your fault, you're looking at potentiall...
The police will be out in force this holiday season — Christmas, New Years. This is the time when they make most of their arrests. Not just on the days of Christmas and New Year's, but also New Year's Eve and all the weekends leading up to these holidays. Even the weekdays people...
When it comes to someone under the age of 21 getting into a DUI accident, obviously that person is going to need an attorney right away. The case will probably be sent into the juvenile court if they're under the age of 18. If they're over the age of 18, the person will be sent into the adult co...
This is a good question because obviously, if you've got a DUI you're concerned and worried about the loss of your driver's license. You're worried about doing to jail. You're worried about being put on probation. You're worried about how it's going to affect your criminal record. So, obviousl...
What people don't seem to realize, and unfortunately fall prey to every night on the streets of Los Angeles and across California is that law enforcement is out in force. This is especially true during the holidays and the weekends to try to catch those individuals drinking alcohol and driving th...
One thing that will really help you understand and deal with your DUI case is if you understand how the prosecutors will present the evidence against you. Really, what they have to prove in order to get you for a DUI is that you were driving with alcohol in your system and you couldn't safely op...
When it comes to DUI, it's definitely fair to say that not all DUI's are treated the same. There are so many different factors that go into what could potentially happen to you. Of course, jurisdiction is important. Is you case in a courthouse that is very tough on DUI's or in a courthouse tha...
This is a big question on a lot of people's minds and when they call me or come in and meet with me regarding a DUI arrest, they're usually talking about that they have a good driving record, a good job, a family and they can't have this conviction on their record. Blood Alcohol Level & Field Sob...
This obviously is an important question. I'm sure people ask themselves this all the time. From my perspective, having handled DUI cases for the past twenty-five years, the decision as to whether or not you're going to drive on any given night should be made before you start drinking. When you ...
This is probably one of the most powerful weapons that the police have in DUI cases and that is, the defendant talking to them and giving them information they need to prove that the person is guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both. I really don't blame people because w...
When it comes to these DUI stops the police make errors all of the time. The problem is trying to be able to catch them. The way that's done is through body cam video or dash cam video or in independent witness that sees what they're doing. Obviously, the defendants themselves can try to challe...
In my opinion, if you have a DUI case and you're trying to decide how you're going to handle it, you're best served with a private DUI defense attorney because you're going to be able to meet with that attorney prior to the case even going to court. Whereas, the public defender's office is typica...
A lot of people don't realize the severe consequences they can face when they are arrested for a DUI and they are serving in the military. Basically, the military has a standard that if you have any alcohol in your system and you can't safely operate a motor vehicle then they're going to find th...
I've been handling warrants in Los Angeles for clients who are charged with DUI's now for twenty-five years. Really what we need to do is have you get into the courthouse, meet me there, and then we will sit down and go over everything. A lot of times I like to meet in my office beforehand so we...
This is a good question because a lot of my clients are coming in and it's pretty clear that the police stopped them for no reason. Other than the fact they suspected they might be driving under the influence of alcohol and they wanted to be able to talk to them, smell their breath and get them t...
First off, the prosecutors at a DMV hearing are the hearing officers themselves. So, non-lawyers are putting on the evidence for the Department of Motor Vehicles. They have to put on the evidence and then they rule on all admission of evidence, including their own evidence. So, they'll put on a...
The Metro court is the main downtown courthouse that handles DUI cases — thousands of DUI cases are handled there every year. It's probably one of the biggest courts around as far as DUI prosecutions go Department 60 is the main court there. That's the arraignment court. That's where most of t...
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