Get a DUI Attorney Near Me
Dealing with a DUI charge in Maywood isn’t easy. DUI is now treated as a serious crime, and local laws have gotten significantly tougher. If convicted you now face jail time, massive fines, the loss of your driver’s license, and penalties that will affect your life and career for years. Do not take the charge lightly—you need to fight it.
A Maywood DUI lawyer can help you do that. Your DUI lawyer in Los Angeles is the one person in the legal system who truly has your best interests at heart. They understand how serious a DUI charge is, and they know the strategies that are most effective for fighting it. In many cases they may be able to help you avoid jail time, get the charge reduced to something less serious, or even get you acquitted altogether. They may also be able to save you thousands of dollars.
DUI Consequences in Maywood
DUI sentences are tougher than ever before. They’re also expensive. A single DUI charge in the Maywood area can now cost you over seized over 17,000 vehicles at sobriety checkpoints in just five years.
California law establishes tiered penalties for DUI drivers based on your past offenses. Repeat DUI’s carry heavier penalties than first time offenses. But even for a first time DUI the penalties are far from light. They include:
- Fines. If found guilty you will pay a fine as well as a variety of administrative fees added by the court. Your total bill will come out to at least $1,800 and can easily be thousands of dollars higher.
- Jail time. A first time DUI carries a jail sentence of anywhere between two days and six months. The judge has a wide discretion in choosing sentences and few are lenient.
- Losing your license. If convicted of DUI you will lose your license. A first time DUI can carry a suspension that lasts only a few months, or as long as a year.
- DUI School/Alcohol Treatment. All DUI convicts are required to attend a special class known as DUI school. It’s designed to teach you the dangers of drunk driving and deter you from doing it again. This class lasts three months and comes at a cost of $500 or more.
Repeat offenders have it tougher. Jail time can last up to a year, or you might be sent to state prison for nearly a year and a half. Fines range well over $10,000. License suspension and DUI school both last years, and in some cases you could even be tried as a felon.
In addition, you will remain on probation for three to five years, and the judge may order special measures like an interlock device.
What Happens After a DUI Arrest?
How your case begins depends on who arrested you. Maywood has been policed by the LA County Sheriff ever since it dissolved its police department in 2010. But it’s also patrolled by state troopers from the East LA division. In most cases, once arrested you will spend a night at the Sheriff’s East Los Angeles Station and be released the next day. But the arrest is only the beginning.
The DUI process is complicated and it moves quickly. It’s punctuated by several deadlines. Each one helps determine your future and you have to be ready for all of them. The main deadlines are:
- Your arraignment. You arraignment is your first appearance in court. It happens long before your trial, typically a few days to a few weeks after your arrest. All you officially need to do at the arraignment is enter your plea of “Guilty” or “Not Guilty.” But this is also your first chance to confront the prosecutor in court. Prosecutors have a busy schedule and they want to get wins as quickly and easily as possible. If you show that you’ll be hard to convict, it makes them reconsider. Get a DUI lawyer with a strong reputation, and get them before the arraignment. Simply having competent legal counsel may be enough to get a deal from the prosecutor.
- DMV hearing. Your driver’s license is in danger before you’ve even had your trial. The California DMV will suspend it automatically following your DUI arrest. The only way to stop this is to request a hearing, and you have only 10 days from your arrest to do so. Ask your lawyer to represent you at the hearing.
- The trial. Your trial will be scheduled at the Downey Courthouse within 30-45 days of your arrest. This is time your lawyer needs to build a strong defense—and put pressure on the prosecution. In many cases you won’t have to go to court at all. Your lawyer will work to get your case resolved in your favor before the date ever comes.
What Can a Lawyer Do in a DUI Case?
A lawyer can make a big difference, and may be the single biggest asset you have in your case. A good lawyer can:
- Challenge unfair or inaccurate evidence, including breathalyzer tests and blood tests
- Move to have statements you made excluded if your rights weren’t respected
- Demolish the evidence against you and pressure the prosecutor to drop the case
- Undermine the case against you and ask the judge the dismiss it
- Bargain with the prosecutor to reduce the charge to something less serious, like reckless driving
A good lawyer can and often does turn around even the most challenging DUI case. You should look for lawyers who work exclusively on DUI and have represented cases like yours before.
Speak to a Maywood DUI Lawyer for Free
We believe you deserve the best defense possible. Let us connect you with a top Maywood area DUI lawyer. We work only with dedicated drunk driving attorneys, and your attorney will give you a FREE consultation to discuss your case.
Don’t wait until you’re facing the judge. Fill out the form to the right or call (310) 896-2724 and get your FREE consultation today.
