Reader’s Question:

It may not be a very good idea to represent myself in my DUI case in Costa Mesa, California but I’m still thinking twice in hiring one because of the fees. What could a lawyer actually do in my DUI case?

Zeke

Costa Mesa, CA

You are right, Zeke, it may not be a very good idea to represent yourself in your DUI case in Costa Mesa, California. You could actually do that but you would have to think it over a million times because a lot of things are on the line. California DUI laws are very much complicated and you need someone to help you understand the intricacies of California DUI laws and a DUI lawyer has experience in trials as well as constitutional rights and sentencing issues.

A qualified DUI lawyer could review the case for defects, subpoena field sobriety training manuals and cross-examine the officer on his failure to follow his training, suppress evidence, compel discovery of such things as calibration and maintenance records for the breath machine, obtain expert witnesses, have blood samples independently analyzed, negotiate for a lesser charge or reduced sentence and may be able to win your DUI case at trial. A California DUI lawyer who primarily handles DUI cases would know the best strategies to employ to give you the best possible defense.

Tags: DUI, DUI advice, DUI lawyer

Reader’s Question:

How many drinks does it take to have a 0.080 alcohol concentration and what must I do to avoid a DWI in California?

Payton

Bakersfield, CA

How many drinks do you need to have a 0.08 alcohol level in your blood? Well Payton, to tell you frankly, the response to your question is not pretty as clear cut as you may imagine. Alcohol is a very toxic substance. The moment you place alcohol into your bodily system, your body will begin to get rid of it. Alcohol levels will only go up when you drink further alcohol or at a more rapidly rate than your body can do away with it. The most excellent response is by exemplar. If a common one hundred fifty pound man drinks four typical beers in sixty minutes, his alcohol level at the end of the sixty minutes would be 0.080. This is the identical whether the drink is a twelve ounce beer, four ounce of wine or one ounce of 80 proof whiskey. This evaluation will differ from person to person and has many other factors that have an effect on it.

For your next question on how to avoid DWI in California, the best advice I can give you is not to drink and drive. If you are planning to drink, drink sensibly or plan a ride if you are not. If you will border your drinking to one drink per hour, you ought to be fine.

Reader’s Question:

Is there anyway to reduce the years for DUI penalty in California? How long will a DUI stay on my record?

Dexter

Bakersfield, CA

Effective January 1, 2007, any CA DUI offense on your record will appear for 10 years from the violation date. The new law extends the reporting period for DUI offenses from 7 to 10 years for all public requestors, including insurance companies. According to the new law, drivers with DUI occurring within the past 10 years are not entitled to receive a good driver discount.

DUI offense that occurred more than 10 years ago will no longer appear on your public driving record. At then end of the 10-year reporting window, it will automatically be taken off.

As to the reduction of the penalty for traffic violations in CA, the law stipulates various offense penalties according to the circumstances of your DUI and non-DUI violations. For more accurate information, contact the court found on your ticket issued

Reader’s Question:

I’m so scared because this is the first time that I was charged with DUI. I need help as to what consequences I will be facing for having this violation in the State of California? Should I get a lawyer?

Renee

Los, Angeles, CA

First, let me educate you that drinking and driving are two things that should never be combined. Everyone should be practicing not to drive drunk. There are a lot of consequences you may be facing with your drunk driving charge in California. Here are some facts about drinking and driving laws in California.

You may be charged with one of two things if you get an California DUI:

First statue is that an officer can arrest you if he determines you are impaired due to alcohol or drugs. The 2nd statue you can be charged on is your BAC or blood alcohol content. Some consequences of a California DUI may include, but are not limited to fines of up to $1300, jail time, offender school, work programs and probation of up to 5 years.

But be scared no more. A good DUI lawyer in California can definitely get you out of trouble.

Once you realize that you will be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it is time for you to seriously consider hiring on a Santa Ana California DUI lawyer. Even if your chances look pretty bad, it’s still possible that a lawyer can help get your charges lightened up. Even beyond just that, there are many ways that a lawyer can help you.

• Education.

For the same reason you don’t go asking for legal advice on an internet game forum, you shouldn’t rely just on the information you, as a non lawyer, are able to dredge up from the internet and the library. Getting a free consultation with a Santa Ana California DUI lawyer can open your mind up to what DUI law is and how it can be applied to your particularsituation.

• Ease.

If you hand your case over to a lawyer, then your own responsibilities drop significantly, and all you have to do is communicate your knowledge and show up, essentially.

• Defense.

Most importantly, your lawyer can represent you for your reasons and knows what is most likely to get you a better punishment.

Reader’s Question:

Will the judge be upset with me if I hire the best DWI lawyer and fight the DWI charges instead of pleading guilty?

Ray

Thank you for asking Ray.

The California constitution prohibits punishing you for asserting your right to a trial. Despite the constitution, small number of judges do threaten more harsh penalties later for not pleading guilty early. This tactic often works with less experienced lawyers. Other lawyers can call the judge’s bluff, outsmart him or her, or arrange for a different judge to handle the DWI case.

Those judges handling misdemeanors are extremely puffed up with their own importance. The meanest of these judges are often those that have been stuck forever handling traffic tickets and misdemeanors, because their colleagues recognize their intellectual limitations. In addition to that a huge ego with incompetence, and you have a person who replaces hard knowledge with bluster and intimidation. A best lawyer you can get in California is armed with a solid background in the law, and a willingness to challenge this type of judge can often prevail over even the worst of them. After all, isn’t that what you hire the best California DWI lawyer for?

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Although a California DWI lawyer can be helpful in many ways, there are times when you must hire one and then there are times when you may have more options. I’m going to present you with several scenarios that you can consider when making your decision about whether or not to hire an attorney.

If you match the following criteria, you absolutely must hire a California DWI lawyer.

• You should absolutely hire a lawyer if this is the third DWI you have gotten, or if you have gotten more than that. Although punishment is already worse on a second DWI, by the third it starts getting especially severe and you will have a difficult time getting the sentence reduced.
• You need a lawyer if part of your job requires you to drive and thus you will not be able to earn a living if your driver’s license is suspended or revoked. It’s possible for the lawyer to win you a restricted license.
• While you were driving under the influence, you got into a car accident, and someone was injured or killed.

If you’ve already decided that you do need a Los Angeles CA DUI lawyer, then it’s time to start looking. You can flip open a copy of the yellow pages and find some names there, or you can call the California Bar and ask for recommendations for a low cost Los Angeles CA DUI lawyer, or if you have friends who have experience going to court for DUI, then you can ask them as well.

It’s important that you have a consultation with your lawyer, but before you go to that consultation you should get some kind of an idea of what’s going to go on there. Log in to your internet connection or stop by the library and breeze through some explanations of California DUI law so that you won’t be completely lost when talking to the lawyer and so that you’ll know the right questions to ask.

Remember that the single most important thing for you to do is to find a lawyer who has experience. Just any kind of experience doesn’t cut it, though, and for the very best representation you’re going to need someone who has expereince with DUI law. At least 50% of their cases should be DUIs.

You can’t walk into the office of your Los Angeles CA DUI attorney with no information, or your consultation will turn out very unproductive. Instead, you’ll need to bring some info, especially about what kind of evidence your DUI case is based on. The kind of evidence will have a big effect on your ability to fight your case.

Evidence for DUI varies, and one of the most common forms this evidence comes in is that of symptoms of drunkenness. This may be that you were driving erratically in some way or another, or that when you spoke to the police officer you slurred your words and had eyes that were bloodshot.

If you’re pulled over for a DUI, then you’re probably going to be given a test. Even people without slurred speech may fail when asked to walk in a straight line, and either way you’ll end up having your breath or your blood itself tested. If they find you were over the legal limit, your case will be harder for you and your Los Angeles CA DUI attorney.

Along with that, you may have gotten yourself into some trouble as well. If you weren’t in the right state of mind, you may have admitted that you were drunk, which will turn out badly for you.