When you are facing criminal charges it is highly recommended that you speak to a Los Angeles lawyer who specializes in DUIs. An experienced and knowledgeable attorney will be well versed in available defenses, in arguments to be made, and what the most effective strategy would be.
Without an attorney, you would not know if you had a defense available. If there is a strong defense that will work in your favor, that could mean your entire case could be dismissed or in the very least dismissed.
At your first court appearance, the arraignment, the prosecutor will offer a plea bargain. A plea bargain is generally offers a complete sentence in exchange for your guilty plea without going to trial. Most laypersons are not going to know what is a good offer, and what offer is not beneficial to them given the facts of their case. An attorney who has had experience will know when to accept and offer and when to say no, and proceed to trial. You need someone that has that expertise to provide you with guidance.
The attorney you ultimately retain should be very well acquainted with the court your cases is being heard in. This could make all the difference to your case. Let’s consider two examples to help illustrate this concept.
David hires a cost efficient DUI attorney with his office in Orange County for a case in Los Angeles. The law is the same in both courthouses, and David’s attorney is well versed and proficient in the criminal law pertaining to his case. David’s attorney appears at the arraignment on behalf of David and the prosecutor offers him a plea bargain. David’s attorney is not aware of the type of plea bargains that are offered in that specific courtroom, or how the Judge will rule. Because the plea bargain is a good one, and requires no jail time on an offense that David’s attorney knows might not have a strong argument, David’s attorney recommends that David accept the offer and so David does.
In contrast, Dina hires a Los Angeles attorney that makes very frequent appearances in the courthouse where Dina’s case is being heard. At the arraignment, the prosecutor offers a plea bargain to Dina’s attorney. Dina’s attorney knows that the offer at the arraignment is always standard, and the offer is much better at plea trial in a different Judge’s courtroom if the facts are favorable. Dina’s attorney turns down the prosecutor’s offer and recommends that Dina accept the offer made in the pretrial courtroom. If Dina’s attorney was not aware of the general practice of the courtroom, or the nature of the Judge, he might not have waited to accept the second offer. This is why knowledge of the courtroom and the Judge is very important.
An attorney who has a good relationship with prosecutors is also able to negotiate more efficiently with prosecutors before even appearing in Court. It is beneficial to have an attorney who knows the court your case is being heard in!