Answers to the most common DUI questions on your mind:
If you are arrested for a San Francisco DUI there are a number of options that you can choose from. Your options include:
1. Pursuit of Case Dismissal
2. Negotiation of a Plea Bargain
3. Taking the case to court.
It is highly advised that you hire an experienced DUI attorney to help you select the option which suits your case best. If you don’t have an attorney at your first hearing then you should request the judge to give you time to find a defense attorney who can help you navigate the DUI process in your best interests.
Yes, it is entirely possible to win a San Francisco DUI case. Our firm has a long record of winning DUI cases in San Francisco.
Two of the most important variables that contribute significantly to your probability of winning the case are the evidence of the case and the attorney that you hire. A good attorney can help you build a strong legal defense that may not only get your penalties reduced, but in some cases it may get the charge dismissed entirely.
Our expert attorneys have won many cases for our clients in the past. The winning strategies employed by them involved arguing constitutional violations and challenging blood alcohol measurements.
To build a strong defense, our attorney study all the police reports in detail to find any lapses in procedure. They also request full disclosure of the testing equipment, the personnel maintaining the test device, the personnel conducting the test and lab certification.
The penalty you receive on a San Francisco DUI charge may vary according to the degree of your offense. You can get specific details about the penalty that you may receive in a California DUI penalty chart. The most common penalties are as follows:
• Revocation of the Driver’s license
• Jail time ranging from a few days to many years
• Heavy fines
• Temporary of permanent probations
• Mandatory attendance at treatment programs
• Car impoundment
• Installation of Ignition Interlock devices in car
You will likely also have to pay higher insurance premiums, and previously open doors of work opportunities may close due to a DUI Charge on your record.
You will find the date, time and location of your first court hearing on your ticket or listed on your paperwork. If you did not hire an attorney, then you must attend the court on the designated date.
The judge will begin the proceedings. He will first cater the attorney-represented cases, and then he will move on to non-attorney represented cases.
At some time during the proceedings the judge will ask you to enter a plea, you may plead guilty or not guilty. If you plead not guilty, the judge will ask you a series of questions to determine if you want to waive your constitutional rights or not. Your constitutional rights include the right to a speedy jury.
If you plead guilty the judge will pass the sentence immediately and the proceedings will be over. You will get a sentence depending upon the severity of your offense, the county you are charged in, and the judge. Your sentence may include fines and probation, jail time, and rehabilitation programs.
When you’re arrested for a San Francisco DUI you will be facing two types of parties – The court and the San Francisco DMV. You will need to contact the DMV if you want to protect your driving privileges.
Once you are arrested for a San Francisco DUI your driving license will get revoked. You will be issued a temporary license that will expire in 30 days. If you want to extend this license then you must schedule an administrative hearing with the San Francisco DMV within ten days after your arrest.
Once you have requested a DMV hearing, your driving privileges will be protected until your hearing is held and a decision is rendered. If you win the hearing in the DMV administrative court your driving rights will be preserved until the court delivers the final sentence.
There are many legal defenses that can be employed in a DMV court, and if you have an experienced DUI lawyer backing you up that can understand and summon those defenses then there is a high probability that you will win your San Francisco DMV hearing. The Court Administrator will be interested to know three things:
1. Who was driving the car?
2. Did the Police have “reasonable cause” to make an arrest?
3. Was the blood alcohol concentration 0.08 or above.
A skilled attorney can use the questions two and three to build a strong defense for you that may be able to help you win the DMV hearing and protect your driving privileges. He may also be able to summon expert witnesses that strengthen your case.
The decision rendered by the DMV can be challenged by using a number of legal defenses. Only an expert attorney who has reviewed your case can tell you if any legal defenses will be applicable to your case or not.
You can call our attorneys for a free consultation and they will help you determine what and if any legal defenses are available to you that may be able to help you recover your driving privileges.
Even in the best circumstances, the costs involved in a San Francisco DMV case can range from many hundreds to thousands of dollars as it includes many implicit and explicit costs such as the court fees, the attorney fees, expert witnesses, DUI traffic school, fines and penalties, higher insurance premiums, and lost wages.
In case of complicated cases that may involve or a felony or repeated priors the case costs may go up to even exceed ten thousand. A reliable estimate of how much a case will cost can only be determined after studying all the facts of a case in detail.
At our firm, we charge a client a flat fees that depends upon the specifics of their case. You can contact our attorney for a free consultation of your case, they will review your case and provide you with a flat amount with no strings attached. With all the cards on the table, it will be easy for you to make informed decisions.
If you do not plead guilty in the first hearing, A San Francisco DUI case can usually last from a few months to many years depending upon the complexity of the case.
In favorable circumstances, the case may last from six months to a year, but complicated cases involving felony charges may last for several years. If there are repeated priors involved in a case then it may cause the case to take even longer.
Our attorneys will review all the unique circumstances of your case and give you a reliable estimate of how long your case may last in court. You can call use now to schedule a free consultation.