Legal Question in DUI Law in California

The first thing you could do is contact DMV within ten days of your arrest to request a hearing. Otherwise, your license will be suspended by DMV in a process completely separate from the criminal court case.

If you're convicted, fines run somewhere around two thousand dollars, depending on the county. You might even get a couple of days, or even more, in jail. You're looking at 3 to five years of informal probation, plus a DUI class of four months or more.

If someone was injured or killed, you could be charged with a felony, which could send you to state prison.

Of course, they have to convict you first. A good DUI attorney may help you avoid many, or all, of those consequences.

If you are arrested and charged with a crime, what can you do? Defend the charges. Go to court, enter a not guilty plea, arrange bail reduction or OR, set up and attend the court hearing[s] and trial date[s]. File evidence suppression or other motions as applicable. Raise all the available defenses with whatever admissible and credible witnesses, evidence and facts are available for legal arguments for motions, plea bargaining, or at trial. Go to trial if it can't be resolved with motions or a plea bargain. There is no magic wand to wave and make it all disappear. If you don't know how to do these things, then hire an attorney that does, who will try to get a decent outcome or plea bargain for you. If serious about doing so, feel free to contact me. I�ll be happy to help you use whatever defenses you may have. If you can't afford private counsel, apply for the Public Defender.

Or you can just go plead guilty and take the jail time and fines decided by the judge.

Keep in mind: When you are arrested for DUI, upon release from jail or booking, you were given documents that included a notice from DMV that you have only ten days to file a request with DMV for a hearing on an appeal of the automatic one-year suspension of your license. Contact DMV and do so, timely, then appear at your scheduled hearing and present your evidence and testimony. If you don't know how to do these things, then hire an attorney that does.