March 9th, 2008
San Diego DUI Lawyers come in many different ‘flavors,’ meaning the lawyers and law firms approach DUI defense in 1 of several different ways…
1st Approach:
Some SD DUI firms seek to low ball clients with an extremely low fee. Now on the outside this may seem attractive to potential clients because they are likely suffering from ’sticker shock’ from some of the other fee quotes they’ve received from other san diego dui lawyers. But once you take a look at what you get for that low fee you’ll likely see that it’s not such a good deal afterall.
You see it’s almost impossible for a DUI lawyer in San Diego to provide a thorough and proper defense for a low fee. What you’ll get with these types of law firms are a basic guilty plea and the standard issue DUI punishments that come with it. You’ll be no better off than if you just plead guilty from the start except now you’ll be out the fee you paid to the law firm.
The 2nd Approach:
This is the massive advertising approach that you may have seen on the T.V. commericals, yellow pages, and other places like the San Diego Craigslist Legal Services section.
The fees the lawyers will charge for this approach are slightly higher than the low ball fees of the 1st approach but again, you’re not going to get a much better defense here. Likely the higher fees are due to the firm having a well known San Diego Lawyer as the ‘name’ on the practice and nothing else. Your case will be pawned off on a paralegal or very junior attorney who just graduated from California Western Law School.
The 3rd Approach (and One You Should Look To Hire):
This is the attorney and law firm who mainly acquires new clients from referrals and/or reputation alone. This type of firm doesn’t do so much ‘advertising’ but you probably see their name or firm name around San Diego because they are just plain ‘good.’
They show up on the internet for relvant searches for terms like “San Diego DUI Arrest” or other similar terms… The fees a firm like this will charge will be slightly higher but again this is a law firm that knows what they’re doing and one who cares about the outcome of your case.
In summary, San Diego DUI Lawyers are plentiful in our county and the numbers are going to continue to grow due to all the potential money involved. The aim here is to help you wade through the SD lawyers who are just out for a fast buck and to help you locate the genuine San Diego DUI Lawyers who can actually make a difference in your case.
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October 26th, 2007
San Diego DUI Attorneys
After first being arrested for DUI in San Diego in most cases you begin looking for a DUI lawyer here in SD that can help you with your situation. Here’s the most common problems people have shopping for a DUI lawyer in San Diego;
First, in most cases you’re bombarded by a rash of letters to your home from San Diego DUI lawyers trying to ’sell’ you their services and their DUI law firm. They get your mailing address from the court records. Obviously these are the San Diego DUI attorneys that are looking for more business.
In most cases, you read most of the letters you get because you need help and you want to find the best lawyer possible to handle your case. Some of the letters make some strong promises and sound like they can help you beat the San Diego DUI so you most likely call their number and speak with them.
You probably call a few and schedule some appointments for a free consultation to discuss your DUI case. One in particular sounds great and promises to help you to beat the San Diego DUI charge and promises to help you with the DMV as well. You retain and pay them.
Lastly, you realize that all you have done in this case is pay this particular San Diego DUI attorney to run you through the standard DUI process here in America’s Finest City. Your case is not given any special attention and you pretty much wasted your money.
Let’s take a look at why that happened.
It happened because you selected a lawyer that came to you, not one in which you came to them. Think about it… they needed you more than you needed them. They needed your money more than you needed a DUI defense.
You should seek out a San Diego DUI attorney based on you not them. Searching the internet is a good way to find a skilled DUI lawyer because you are actively looking for attorneys and you can select one on your own needs.
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October 17th, 2007
Often times when first charged with a DUI in San Diego you are confused about what the specific charges were because the paper work seems to have 2 seperate offenses on it. How can you be charged with 2 different crimes when you only committed 1 offense?
San Diego DUI Law
When arrested for DUI in San Diego there are 2 seperate offenses that you are initially charged with. They are:
- 23152 (a) Misdemeanor to drive under the inlfluence of alcohol and/or drugs.
- 23152 (b) Misdemeanor to drive with a .08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or more.
Reference: California DUI laws
In every instance where you’re arrested for DUI here in San Diego you’ll be charged with both offenses (with the 1 rare exception that you were arrested with a BAC under .08%) even though only 1 incident took place.
So that is why you see 2 different charges on your paperwork. DUI defense here in San Diego is a very specialized area of the law and as you can see not always fair towards the offender. As lobbyist organizatons continue to push for stricter and harsher laws it will become more and more important to seek out the assistance of an aggressive DUI lawyer in San Diego to fight for your rights. It could make all the difference in your case.
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October 17th, 2007
After being arrested for DUI in San Diego, the first thing you’ll want to do is to figure out where your car is being held as most likely the police impounded it and had it towed. Most likely they had it sent to a tow yard near-by to where you were stopped for the DUI but you’ll want to check with the San Diego Police Department to be sure.
Go get your car out of impound right away (as long as you are ok to drive- if not have someone who is go get it for you) because the towing company will charge a ’storage’ fee for each day the car is held. Some towing companies charge storage fees by the hour so you’ll most likely pay a good bit to get your car back.
Next, thing to do is to sit down and remember the events of the night right away. Try to recall what happened and if possible jot down some notes (don’t show these notes to anyone, they are only for you to help you remember what happened). This is important so that if you contest your San Diego DUI charge you’ll be able to accurately recall the events of the evening and describe them to your San Diego DUI lawyer.
Finally, you should contact an aggressive San Diego DUI lawyer to discuss your case. You can speak with an aggressive lawyer for free on an initial consultation to see if you want to hire them.
San Diego is a rough place to get a DUI, punishments are harsh and convictions carry some stiff penalties. It is critical that you at the very least speak with a San Diego DUI lawyer about your case.
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October 15th, 2007
Welcome to San Diego DUI Arrest ! This blog and website have been started to provide comprehensive information for those facing DUI charges in San Diego as well as their friends and families who want to help them through this difficult time. Here we’ll provide information about all aspects of dealing with a DUI in San Diego including:
- First steps after being pulled over.
- Finding an aggressive DUI defense lawyer in San Diego.
- Navigating through the court system and what you can expect if convicted.
- Post DUI conviction topics.
- Probation.
- SR22 Insurance information and resources for the best providers in San Diego.
- Appeal process.
- DUI expungement after you get through the entire process.
This first post is titled, “San Diego DUI ‘State-of-the-Union’ “ because DUI arrests and convictions here in San Diego are one of the highest in the nation. There’s a few reasons for this and we will discuss this trend in more detail in later posts. Please check back as we continue to add up to date information and resources.
Again, welcome!
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