Los Angeles Metro Court DUI Lawyer
Metropolitan Courthouse
1945 South Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 745-3201
Because of its central location (near Hollywood and the bars in downtown Los Angeles), the Metro Courthouse handles most of the DUI cases filed in Los Angeles County. In handling thousands of DUI cases in the Metro Courthouse over the past twenty-five years.
I find that this courthouse is more reasonable as far as DUI arrest goes in LA. Because of the enormous volume of cases that pass through this courthouse daily, they must be fair when prosecuting DUIs, or they will simply be overrun with too many issues to deal with.
Having handled so many cases in this courthouse, I can usually give you a pretty good idea of what you are looking at when you meet with me.
I've been practicing in the Metro Court for the past twenty years handling DUI matters. The cases start in Division 60, which is the central arraignment court. There's a stack of prosecutors in there, and there are thousands of patients going through that court every year.
The main downtown courthouse controls the highest percentage of DUIs in Los Angeles County.
There are so many DUIs in this courthouse because of the jurisdiction it covers — for example, Hollywood, West Hollywood, or Downtown Los Angeles — and the fact that there are a lot of bars and clubs in these areas. There used to be a Hollywood Court, but now all of those DUIs are funneling into the Metro Courthouse since that court has closed down.
So, if you got a DUI in the Metro Courthouse, you want to get somebody like me who knows the ropes there, has had cases there before and knows how the prosecutors handle the issues.
Typically, when you come into my office and meet with me, I can give you a pretty good idea of where you stand with your DUI in the Metro Court. In other words, I'm going to ask some key questions to get information to give you a feel for where you stand.
Developing Best DUI Defense Strategy
When figuring out the best way to handle your DUI case, your best strategy is to meet with an attorney who knows the courthouse and the personnel in the courthouse your case is pending.
Instead of relying on a salesperson over the phone, you should speak to a skilled DUI lawyer who has traveled the path you are about to take.
After my clients meet with me for the first time, there is a tremendous sense of relief once they realize what they are truly up against and see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. No one likes to be in the dark about their fate.
Having a plan on exactly how your driving under the influence case will be handled and what you can do to help will give you a sense of control back and begin putting the criminal justice system behind you.
It is essential that when you come to meet with me, you give them the straightforward truth about the circumstances surrounding your DUI arrest, and then I will let you know what your chances are for success and what you can do to help me help you. There are several factors that the prosecutor and judge consider when formulating their position related to any given DUI.
One of the most significant factors in a DUI if your blood alcohol level. The higher your blood alcohol level, the more likely the prosecutors will be unwilling to lower the charge. They will be seeking the severest punishment possible for your particular DUI case.
The lower the blood alcohol level and the closer it is to the legal limit, the more angles and arguments your attorney will have, and this will give you a much higher probability of getting something less than a DUI and some of the lower punishments that are available in the DUI Metro Courthouse.
They will look at the person's prior criminal record, driving record, conduct in the current case, and a host of other factors before deciding how dangerous they are to society. This concept of “dangerousness” is crucial because it will drive how the prosecutors handle your case and your punishment.
The more dangerous you are, the more restrictions and punishments they will try and put on you. If you can be considered not very dangerous and your conduct is considered an aberration, you will be in the best position to receive a favorable outcome!
Successful Drunk Driving Attorney
I have successfully helped my clients deal with DUI cases in the downtown Los Angeles Metro Courthouse. DUI defense is not complicated…but experience in the court a claim is being prosecuted is invaluable. It has saved my clients from jail time and losing their license privileges over my many years of successful DUI practice in Los Angeles.
Metro Court / 1945 South Hill Street – This courthouse is the central Los Angeles DUI court. Thousands of DUI matters are prosecuted in this courthouse every year. Most people arrested for DUI cases in or around the downtown Los Angeles area are arraigned in the Metro Courthouse. If you are charged with a DUI in Los Angeles County, the best advice I can give you is to find an experienced attorney in the court where your case is being prosecuted.
After Division 60, if you enter a not guilty plea and set your case for trial, you'll be randomly trial and moved into one of the trial courts in the Metro Courthouse randomly. Then you're entitled to have a jury anytime you're looking at up to six months in jail for a first-time DUI and up to a year in prison for a second-time DUI.
You certainly are entitled to have a jury trial to show the jury that you're innocent, and of course, the prosecutors have the burden in a DUI case to show that you're guilty. If they can't meet that burden — if they can't prove your DUI matter beyond a reasonable doubt — your case will be dismissed, and you can move on your way.
If you're found guilty, the judge will then have the opportunity to punish you. You will be looking at such punishments as an alcohol program, jail time, probation license restrictions and revocation, and other penalties depending on the circumstances surrounding your case.
Seeking Best Possible Outcome
I have immersed myself in defense of people who make mistakes for almost the past two decades, and I genuinely enjoy what I do! Over my many years of practice, I have learned the obvious…it is not what you know; it is who you know. I have developed professional relationships with many prosecutors, and I encourage you to put my connections and experience to work for you!
So, if you've got a DUI in the Metro Court, you first want to educate yourself on how that courthouse works, and you also want an attorney to talk to you about your specific fact pattern — your particular situation.
Besides the blood alcohol level that the Metro Court prosecutors will look at are your prior criminal record and your dangerousness level out on the road while you were being pulled over for your DUI.
In other words, the more dangerous your driving or actions, the more likely they're going to punish you and try to get a full-fledged DUI on your record.
Examples of dangerousness are going very fast, weaving in and out of traffic, becoming involved in an accident, and striking a pedestrian. There's a list of different things that the prosecutors can point to say that you were dangerous when you were arrested for your DUI.
You could have killed someone, and now we're going to punish you so that, number one, you're held accountable for your actions, and number two, we're going to put some deterrence in place so that you never drink and drive again.
Watson Warning
Another big thing in the Metro Court that they do in every DUI case is given a Watson warning. What that is, is a warning telling you that if you drink and drive and you kill someone, you're going to be charged with second-degree murder, and you're going to be facing fifteen to life in prison.
In other words, they're making it very clear to anybody who passes through the doors of the Metro Court that they're not messing around. If you're going to endanger other people, you will be punished for it.
So, pick up the phone today. Call Me. We'll talk about your Metro Court-1945 Hill Street DUI. I'll talk about how the prosecutors handle cases there and what you're facing in your particular case, and we'll get you on the road to getting your matter resolved as soon as possible.
Call my office and set up a free face-to-face consultation with me, and I will educate you on DUI laws in California and how the system works and begin the process of putting your back on the road.
The next move will dictate your destiny related to your Los Angeles DUI case. Meet with Ron Hedding, and we will turn things in your favor. The Hedding Law Firm has a track record of success in DUI cases.