Notice to Appear and Posting Bail
I have been handling DUIs in the Metro courthouse for the past 26 years. That includes taking thousands of DUI cases there. That's probably the main courthouse in LA county that gets the most DUIs because of its jurisdiction.
In other words, it covers places like Hollywood, where there are a lot of restaurants, bars, and clubs where people get arrested and cited in the Metro court for their DUI case.
So, if you have a case there, I'm very familiar with handling things. I'm very familiar with the prosecutors and judges and what defense strategies can defend you and help you.
Typically, you will get a:
- notice to appear after you are arrested, and you;
- the police cite post bail or you out, or the police cite you out with a citation to appear at the Metro courthouse.
You will appear in Department 60 of that courthouse. That's the arraignment court. We will appear for you at your first court appearance once you hire our firm.
We will pick up all of the discovery and paperwork in the case, speak to the prosecutor, review everything and then continue the case for a few weeks.
This will give us time to meet with you in the privacy of my office and let you look at the paperwork related to the case, go over everything and decide what the best defense strategy is.
Negotiation with Prosecutor to Reduce DUI charges
Sometimes in a DUI case, the best strategy is to try to:
- negotiate with the prosecutors and get the lowest possible charges and lowest possible sentence, or;
- fight the case in front of a jury and try to show the jury that you're innocent.
Another entity that we will have to deal with is if you're charged with a DUI in LA county.
Once you hire our firm, we will set a DMV hearing. We will ask for a stay on any suspension in your case, which we are entitled to as long as we call within ten days of your arrest, and then we will handle the DMV hearing on your behalf.
So, the defense strategy in the Metro court is first for us to map out our strategy on exactly what we're going to do, and then for me, as your attorney, to execute that plan.
Whether that be investigating the case to set it up for a jury trial or even exploring the subject so we can use the information that we go to a jury trial, or even investigating the issue so we can use the information that we acquire to negotiate with the prosecutors.
Another defense strategy is to get good information about you — character letters, your driving record, and anything else that makes sense as it relates to your case.
Blood Alcohol Level and Field Sobriety Tests
In my opinion, if you have a case in the Metro downtown courthouse, it's not a cookie-cutter process. It's not a do the same thing every single time process.
Some defenses, like using experts, make sense in some cases. Sometimes it doesn't make sense in other cases.
We have to look at what your:
- blood alcohol level;
- field sobriety test, and;
- how you were driving;
- how you were walking;
- how you were talking.
We have to look at how you performed on the field sobriety test and a host of other factors that make sense in a DUI case.
These are all the things that the law enforcement officers — LAPD, CHP, and the like — will be looking at when they try to evaluate you for a DUI.
So, suppose you've been arrested and pulled over for a DUI in Los Angeles County. In that case, you have to realize right from the beginning when they see your vehicle and target your car for whatever reason; they're evaluating you for a DUI.
They're seeing how your car is driving. They're seeing how cooperative you are. They're smelling your breath as you talk to them. They're seeing how you walk, how you speak, and how you perform on their test.
Call Hedding Law Firm If Charged with a DUI
So, if you need help with your DUI case in downtown Los Angeles, pick up the phone now. Ask to speak with on Hedding, a face to face meeting.
I'll do everything I can to help you with your driving record, your freedom, your career, and all the things that are important to you.
Hedding Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm located in Los Angeles County at 16000 Ventura Blvd #1208 Encino, CA 91436. Contact us for a free case evaluation at (213) 542-0963.