Legal Question in DUI Law in California

Re: court sentencing

You can contact the DA's Office or the Court Clerk's office to find out what charges have been filed against you prior to the initial court date. You can also show up to the initial court date and request a continuance of the arraignment for a couple of weeks; to give yourself time to contact an attorney. If you cannot afford to hire an attorney or even pay for a consultation, inform the Court of your inability to pay and a public defender will be appointed to represent you. Do not say anything about the facts of your case while you are in court as anything you say can and will be used against you.

Re: court sentencing

The charges against you are really serious, and could send you to jail or deprive you of job opportunities for a long time.

I really hate it when criminal defendants, who are NOT lawyers and who do NOT know what they are doing, decide they are going to wait it out and not hire a lawyer until their second or third court hearing or even the day before trial. The court proceedings are moving forward, and they are NOT going to go backwards in time just because you are in denial about the seriousness of the charges and the need to have legal representation. All that you will accomplish is that you will have robbed yourself of valuable time that your lawyer, if you had hired one, could have used to prepare your case!

Why would you want your team to take the field at halftime? Running out the clock is only a good strategy if you are ahead!! If you are behind (and you are) using a run-out-the-clock defense is insane!!

There are many types of bad outcomes that can happen when people go to court by themselves. These include the defendant's saying or doing something stupid that hurts their case, and getting talked into a bad, immediate guilty plea.

Also, your lawyer will need to take immediate steps to obtain vital evidence and to fight the DMV license suspension.

Your first court date is not there merely to say hello and get acquainted. It is a very critical stage of the case and you would be extremely foolish not to arrange for legal representation WELL IN ADVANCE OF YOUR FIRST COURT DATE.

Re: court sentencing

The charges against you are really serious, and could send you to jail or deprive you of job opportunities for a long time.

I really hate it when criminal defendants, who are NOT lawyers and who do NOT know what they are doing, decide they are going to wait it out and not hire a lawyer until their second or third court hearing or even the day before trial. The court proceedings are moving forward, and they are NOT going to go backwards in time just because you are in denial about the seriousness of the charges and the need to have legal representation. All that you will accomplish is that you will have robbed yourself of valuable time that your lawyer, if you had hired one, could have used to prepare your case!

Why would you want your team to take the field at halftime? Running out the clock is only a good strategy if you are ahead!! If you are behind (and you are) using a run-out-the-clock defense is insane!!

There are many types of bad outcomes that can happen when people go to court by themselves. These include the defendant's saying or doing something stupid that hurts their case, and getting talked into a bad, immediate guilty plea.

Also, your lawyer will need to take immediate steps to obtain vital evidence and to fight the DMV license suspension.

Your first court date is not there merely to say hello and get acquainted. It is a very critical stage of the case and you would be extremely foolish not to arrange for legal representation WELL IN ADVANCE OF YOUR FIRST COURT DATE.