call toll free

Open 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. California Time PT

(888) 769-3300

Welcome to the DUI Clinic for California drunk driving arrests and other related charges - this DUI Only help is for anyone arrested and charged with DUI under California law. Experts disagree on the best way to handle a DUI case - if you do nothing, your license will be suspended 30 days after arrest automatically by the computer - in court, if you don't have a lawyer, the prosecutor will likely go for the maximum s/he can get since their convictions statistics matter for advancement in the District Attorney's Office of the County where your case occurred. Certified DUI lawyer Specialists, National, or big DUI firms, make big claims - Almost all of them have a book or a website saying they know best. But it always takes lots of money in these places to figure out what you need and nowadays, you need our help if you don't have the big bucks because it really is all that complicated.

At this DUI Clinic, you learn the California DUI law that applies to your case in the county where you'll be tried - the FACTS of YOUR case are what is important and you need to know how to handle things before you are told the wrong thing by a non-specialist.

If you make, or have, too much cash, property, savings, or real property, the judge will deny your request for the public defender. You can represent yourself but this is not recommended.

WHAT TO DO NEXT AFTER YOUR DUI ARREST IN CALIFORNIA!

You should not simply trust the California DMV or court personnel if they tell you what you should do ... they have an interest in you pleading guilty since it makes their job(s) easier - any judge should advise you to get a lawyer!

The police officer or CHP that arrested you has an interest in you pleading guilty ... it supports the decision to arrest you, helps with promotion, and, some get awards and overtime for their arrests in DUI.

Don't automatically think you are guilty just because you were arrested.

You can afford an attorney. Perhaps not the most expensive, but unless the judge says you are indigent, you won't get the public defender and the public lawyer doesn't help you with your license hearing.

You begin by reading through our materials. Many DUI cases can be successfully defended even though you've been told by others just to plead guilty. You have every reason to get a free consultation with more than one lawyer.

You'll know where you stand after that, and, you can then decide whether hiring counsel for your case is a wise thing to do or not.



DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT YOUR CALIFORNIA DUI CASE - NOT EVEN YOUR EMPLOYER

Too many clients tell their employer about their new DUI arrest before they tell a lawyer!

But, we know how the cops pressure you and make you feel guilty from the start.

Don't tell anyone about your case until you've made a strategy for how your case will be handled. Your case should take a couple of months, at least, to conclude. Don't settle it until you've screened your case.

DON'T THINK YOU CAN DRIVE LEGALLY IN CALIFORNIA AFTER A DUI ARREST EVEN WHEN YOU GET A LICENSE BACK IN THE MAIL

If you do fight, the California DMV is going to give you a license to drive longer than others with a DUI who don't get a lawyer. If you go it alone, without legal help, you may also be sent a license in the mail (either the one the cop took or a replacement). Don't think that it is automatically good and legal for you to drive.

If you lose your hearing, you will be suspended. YOU CANNOT DRIVE AGAIN UNTIL YOU GO TO California DMV AND THEY GIVE YOU A BRAND NEWLY DATED AND PAID FOR RECEIPT. Your license remains suspended, even if they send you the replacement license, until you go to the California DMV and get it re-activated by paying a fee and giving them the special insurance certificate SR22 proof.

YOU DON'T GO TO COURT IN CALIFORNIA WITHOUT A LAWYER. THIS IS NOT A TRAFFIC TICKET! ACT NOW OR LOSE CERTAIN RIGHTS

Attorneys' fees are expensive.

Now, let what has to be done, be done. A dismissal, acquittal, reduction in charges, or plea bargain that satisfies you is what is sought. Yes, jury trial is your right and if you want one, you get it ... 90% of cases settle before trial though.

Striving to save your right to drive is what is immediately next - the DMV hearing, which you can only get if a hearing request is made within 10 days of your arrest.

Now, the real question you are trying to answer is which lawyer should help you. Check out the county pages for the truth about your case and get a free consultation from one of the lawyers there - you should learn how to do-it-yourself, which you can easily do after a free consultation if you pay attention.

ABSOLUTELY, TAKE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT, WHAT CALIFORNIA DMV TELLS YOU ON THE PHONE - GET THE NAME OF THE PERSON YOU TALK WITH AT THE CALIFORNIA DMV - CONFIRM EVERYTHING

First, the number on your temporary license to the DMV in Sacramento is a waste of a phone call. It is not the number to request a hearing (DMV contact info here).

And, when you are talking to them, you don't know if you are being recorded or not. They ask you questions about your case that you should not answer without first consulting with a DUI defense attorney.

Legally, they're getting your admissions that could be used against you in a hearing.

It is well know that when people who are arrested for DUI call the DMV number displayed on their Temporary License form, the DMV person will try to talk them out of requesting a hearing. DON'T TALK ABOUT YOUR CASE WITH OTHERS until your lawyer tells you to talk.

You have already trusted the cop too much by doing the field sobriety tests and that performance will be used against you in all the reports, at the DMV, and at trial. If you are lucky, video tapes will show your innocence through your driving, performance on the balance tests, and the chemical test.

DIRECT MAIL SOLICITATION IN CALIFORNIA

In 1989, the Supreme Court said that lawyers could advertise by direct mail. Since then we've had medical malpractice, tort, and workman's comp. reform. Attorneys and big firms began saturating the individuals charged with crime with direct mail advertising because they needed money.

After that, a company named United Reporting won a virtual monopoly on getting the names and selling them to attorneys and the credit reporting bureaus. How they get around your privacy rights is a legal question that was won by the credit reporting bureaus - wonder that.

Most all who matter agree much of these solicitors do not necessarily make a good DUI defense. Fees that are too low can only mean the firm intends to plead you guilty right away rather than try to find a defense. Then again, fees that are too high for the case can be aggravating. You have to find an attorney that will work for what you have to pay.

Your fees should be set according to a sliding scale. They should be set according to what you tell happened in your arrest - "just the facts." If it is a loser, you might have to take a bargain.

To your attorney, it will be about 10 - 20 hours work if you don't go to trial, and add a week or more if you do go to trial.

CHECK OUT THE YELLOW PAGES, BUT DON'T ASSUME BIGGER IS BETTER !

You have a SIMPLE misdemeanor case, hopefully!

While you may think a huge ad is a sign that the lawyer has a prosperous business, in criminal defense too much advertising all over the place is a warning. Other times, the guys/gals with the biggest yellow page ads are wealthy lawyers who can afford much advertising, or too, they can be a non-local attorney who sells your case to local lawyers for appearances. You should utilize lawyers from the community where you are going to court and DMV. There are also great lawyers w/ Yellow Page ads still that are terrific for DUI cases.

YOU DO NOT NEED THE LAWYER WHO WRITES THE BOOK TO HELP YOU DEFEND YOUR PLAIN OLD CALIFORNIA DUI ARREST.

You need more than "book smarts" you need an attorney who knows your the system where you are going to court. You need a lawyer to help you if you plan on fighting your case and working to save your upcoming suspended license. You need an attorney who fights in the court all the time. Now, check out the county pages from the selections to the right.