After an arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence, your citation will have a date on which you are required to appear before a criminal Judge. It is very important that you appear before the Judge on or before that date. The only exception for you not having to appear is if you have hired a Los Angeles Criminal Defense lawyer to appear on your behalf.
A legal professional can only appear on your behalf if you have retained them, and only if the case is not a felony or a serious charge that will require that you personally appear before the Judge. If the facts of your case allows an experienced professional to appear on your behalf then you do not have to worry about coming to Court and you will not be breaking any laws.
If however, you are not represented by an attorney and have a court date, you MUST appear before the Judge. If you do not want to proceed without an attorney, you can always ask the Judge for a continuance to be able to hire counsel. The Judge will likely not deny you the opportunity to do so.