If you've been arrested for Los Angeles DUI and are licensed in a state outside California, you may believe that your drunk driving arrest won't affect your driving privileges, but your home state may suspend your license because of the Interstate Driver's License Compact (IDLC).

The Interstate Driver's License Compact is an agreement among 45 states to share information about certain types of convictions, including drunk driving and driving under the influence of drugs (DUID). If your license was issued by the one of the 45 states that are parties to the IDLC, your home state may revoke your driving privileges after learning about your Los Angeles DUI arrest.

The California DMV cannot revoke your out-of-state license because it is considered the property of the state that issued it. However, California can suspend your driving privileges within the state, and will notify your home state about your DUI arrest. The surest way to protect your license is to fight the suspension of your driving privileges here at your California DMV hearing.An experienced Los Angeles DUI attorney from The Kavinoky Law Firm will aggressively challenge the DMV's action and vastly improve your chances of keeping your license.

Whether your home state will suspend your driver's license after your Los Angeles DUI arrest depends on the state itself. Five states don't participate at all in the IDLC, and will not take any action against you. These states are Wisconsin, Tennessee, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Michigan.

Some other states have administrative systems similar to California's. Those states may suspend your license merely upon learning about a California DMV APS action against you, even though you haven't been convicted in criminal court. States that don't have an administrative system may require a court conviction before they will take any action against your driving privileges.

The type of action that may be taken depends on your home state as well. Some states take the same action as the state where your DUI arrest occurred. For example, if California suspends your driving privileges within that state for four months, your home state may suspend your license for the same length of time. Other states might punish you even more harshly and may even make you pay a fine. Yet other states may be more lenient.

The surest way for you to protect your out-of-state license after a Los Angeles DUI arrest is to have a top defense lawyer defending you at the California DMV. An experienced Los Angeles DUI attorney from The Kavinoky Law Firm will fight for your rights at your California DMV hearing and work to protect your driver's license.