After all of the evidence and witnesses have been presented in a Los Angeles DUI trial, the prosecutor and defense attorney will each deliver closing arguments. For a skilled Los Angeles DUI attorney, closing arguments will demonstrate to jurors that the prosecutor has failed to meet the burden of proving your guilt in each element of the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The prosecutor is allowed to deliver both the first closing argument and a final rebuttal argument because he or she has the burden of proving your guilt. This may seem unfair, but a well-crafted closing argument by your Los Angeles DUI attorney will address any questions that remain in the minds of jurors.

The most important message to impart to jurors for a Los Angeles DUI attorney giving a closing argument is their responsibility to deliver a not guilty verdict if the prosecutor has not proven every element of the case beyond a reasonable doubt. This is critical because savvy prosecutors often mislead jurors into believing that the defense has the burden of proving your innocence. Although the jury instructions specifically contradict this assertion, jurors may forget this critical point during a persuasive closing argument.

Your Los Angeles DUI attorney will deliver a strong closing argument that reminds jurors that in circumstantial evidence cases with two reasonable views of the evidence, the jury must accept the argument that points to your innocence. If the police officer who arrested you for drunk driving testified that your poor performance on your field sobriety test was due to your intoxication, and the defense introduced evidence that your physical problems were caused by an injury, jurors must accept the explanation that points to your innocence.

A savvy Los Angeles DUI attorney will deliver a closing argument that punches holes in the prosecutor's case and stresses alternative explanations to the prosecution's evidence. Your defense lawyer should remind jurors of the testimony of defense witnesses such as the defense expert or alibi witnesses. Finally, the defense attorney will remind jurors that they took an oath to uphold the law.

A strong closing argument is particularly effective when your Los Angeles DUI attorney has made a connection with jurors and gained their trust. This occurs long before closing arguments - a skilled defense lawyer starts the process of building a rapport with jurors during jury selection, and builds on that connection throughout the trial.

To understand how a seamless closing argument can help your Los Angeles DUI trial, contact a Los Angeles DUI attorney from Lieber, Williams & Labin.