Los Angeles DUI Court Process
Once you have been arrested for a DUI charge, the California courts follow a fairly standardized process of DMV hearing, arraignment, pre-trial activity and court hearings in order to determine your guilt or innocence in the matter.
California DUI Court Process: DMV Hearing
Once you have been arrested for a DUI charge in Los Angeles, your California driver’s license is taken away and you are issued a Suspension Order and Temporary License Form. This piece of paper acts as a temporary license for 30 days, at which time your license goes into suspension. You do have the right to appeal this suspension under California law. However, you or your Los Angeles DUI attorney must request the appeal within 10 days of receiving the suspension order.
At this point in the DUI court process, a good Los Angeles DUI defense attorney questions the validity of the arrest, along with the facts of the case in order to prevent suspension of a client’s license. This generates a record which can be used later in the court process to bargain for charge reductions.
California DUI Court Process: Arraignment
After the DMV hearing, your DUI attorney continues to strengthen your case, questioning the arresting officer, examining the arresting officer’s record, and calling in additional expert witnesses as necessary. At the arraignment, you are formally charged with the DUI, and your attorney will continue to work on your behalf.
California DUI Court Process: Pre-Trial Activity
The pre-trial stage of the DUI court process is critical to a successful DUI defense. The experience and knowledge of a Los Angeles drunk driving defense attorney is tested in a series of pre-trial court dates, during which the terms of the DUI charge are negotiated with prosecutors.
California DUI Court Process: Trial
Most DUI lawyers prefer to settle DUI cases before they reach the trial stage. However, if a client’s interests are best served by a trial by jury, a DUI attorney will not hesitate to vigorously defend the case in court.
Law partners Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff are all former Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys. Their experience on the other side of DUI cases gives them the unique insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the prosecution’s case against a client at every stage in the DUI court process. Combining expertise gained from law enforcement service and prosecution trial skills with a tenacious defense gives clients the edge needed to successfully fight DUI charges.
Have you been charged with a Los Angeles DUI offense? Call 866.299.4111 and discuss your situation with one of the attorneys at Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff, LLP.
