Got arrested for a San Diego DUI? California begins a lengthy road of turmoil, financial loss, loss of reputation and, in some cases, jeopardy of employment. Therefore, if you drink and drive, you should be quick to contact a San Diego DUI Attorney. It only requires is a few beers, or a few drinks to raise your BAC above the legal limit. Don’t be surprised if you are found to be over the limit, you will be arrested and will need to quickly hire an experienced San Diego DUI attorney to save you from conviction.
It is important to know, you don’t need to be absolutely drunk to get arrested for a DUI. You do not even necessarily have to be swerving in between the road lines. You could be pulled over for something not related, such as an expired registration sticker, an outdated license plate, or perhaps a broken taillight bulb. If the police officer suspects you’ve been drinking, whether he smells alcohol on your breath, thinks he hears you slur your words, or notices that your eyes are overly red, he has enough probable cause to administer a field sobriety test.
When you get arrested, you are read your rights by the officer. Be sure to take advantage of your right to remain silent, and your right to an attorney. If you do not know of any attorneys, you will have the opportunity to find one or you can have your friends and/or family do some research to pick the best DUI attorney for your case.
Drunk Driving Penalties
It is very important you select the best attorney, and don’t even waste time thinking about representing yourself, as the consequences for drunk driving are both harsh and costly. This is for a valid reason. Drivers driving under the influence are using their vehicles as weapons. Every week, many innocent people are killed by people driving drunk. Therefore, police officers and courts have no patients for people who make the decision to drink and drive.
When you get arrested for drunk driving, you will be charged and will spend the evening in the drunk tank. This is the holding area where many intoxicated people are placed to take time to sober up before they see the judge. When you face the judge in court he/she will ask you how you plead, guilty, not guilty or no contest. Many people make the mistake of pleading guilty because they had a beer or two, and were arrested for DUI. The truth is, for an experienced San Diego DUI attorney, it may be possible to have your charges greatly reduced or even have the charges dismissed completely.
If you plead guilty, or are convicted of a DUI, this will put a felony on your record. This alone bars you from some employment as well as most apartment complexes. You will have to pay fines and court costs that sometimes cost thousands of dollars. Most times you’ll be forced to complete an alcohol awareness course, community service, or anything else the judge deems appropriate for your particular case. You could also face loss of work, and/or loss of your job completely. With all of these penalties facing you, you owe it to yourself to hire the very best DUI attorney you can find.
How to Find the Best Attorney
There are many ways to go about finding the best attorney in San Diego. Don’t trust the ads on TV or the ones in the yellow pages. Any attorney with money can make an ad or a commercial and claim to be the best. What you want are referrals.
Do you have any friends or family that have been previously arrested for drunk driving and received a decreased charge or was able to get their case thrown out of court entirely by a San Diego DUI attorney? That’s the attorney you want to be calling. If you don’t know anyone who is familiar with a good San Diego DUI attorney, you should hop on the internet and do a Google search. Usually, you can find testimonials of DUI attorneys in your local area. That is usually one of the best ways to discover a San Diego DUI attorney that can rescue you from the loss of time, money and your reputation that being convicted of a DUI will have on you.
Looking to find the best deal on assistance with your San Diego DUI, then visit www.sandiegoduiattorneynow.com to find the best legal recommendations from a San Diego DUI attorney for you.