If you've been arrested for Los Angeles DUI, you cannot be convicted unless the prosecutor proves every element of the drunk driving charges beyond a reasonable doubt. In order to secure a conviction after a Los Angeles DUI arrest, the prosecutor must show that you were driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs or in violation of California's "per se" laws, which state you cannot have a blood alcohol content level of .08 or above within two hours of driving.

The elements in a drunk driving case are very straightforward. As part of your winning defense strategy, an experienced Los Angeles DUI lawyer will fight to show the jury that one or more of these elements were not proved beyond all reasonable doubt.

If it is not evident to the jury that the prosecutor's case is 100 percent airtight, a judgment of not guilty should be handed out. The requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is a fundamental standard to our criminal justice system, including DUI cases. Now the question is, how can drunk driving accusations be proved or disproved?

Like any other criminal case that goes before the court system, a Los Angeles DUI accusation is proved only when all elements of the offense have been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt to the jury. Whether it is a driving under the influence of alcohol charge, a driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) case, or any other criminal case, a conviction hinges on the ability of the prosecutor to prove each and every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt, or in the ability of the defense attorney to disprove these elements.

At the heart of every DUI / DWI case that is won by the defendant is his or her attorney's ability to offer concrete evidence to the jury that the defendant is not necessarily guilty. In a Los Angeles DUI case, criminal defense lawyers know that coming up with this evidence can be difficult, but when they are relentless in their efforts they can succeed.

Every court system in the United States relies on the same standard of proof: that all elements must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. This is the highest level of proof in our judicial system. It is meant to protect the accused, and with help from a skilled Los Angeles DUI attorney, your rights will be protected in your drunk driving case.