San Diego DUI Penalties

San Diego DUI penalties can last for many years after the initial DUI conviction.  Some of the lasting effects can be as long as 10+ years depending on how you handle the situation.  The important things to do when arrested for a DUI in San Diego are to first seek the counsel of a skilled DUI lawyer in San Diego and then listen to everything the courts and your attorney tell you to do.  Following through with all of your punishments as well as keeping up with all necessary paperwork can be crucial to ensuring that this doesn’t stick around longer than it needs to.
The most important aspects of dealing with a San Diego DUI are discussed here:

Initial San Diego DUI Considerations :

• First you want to stabilize your situation.  This means seeking out the appropriate mental, emotional, and legal support necessary to make you feel comfortable about what is happening.  This means facing the situation at hand, telling those around you what you are dealing with AND contacting a skilled San Diego DUI lawyer and discussing your case.
• Second, you want to decide how serious your case is and what your actual chances are of reducing the DUI charges and/or getting them dismissed all together.  Discuss this with your San Diego DUI lawyer.
• Last, you’ll want to proceed with your DUI defense and plan to deal with the consequences.

If Convicted of a San Diego DUI :

If you do end up getting convicted of a DUI in San Diego here’s what you’ll likely face:
First Offense DUI in San Diego -  For a 1st offense you’ll likely deal with the following penalties in San Diego…

•  California Vehicle Code  § 23536 states that you’ll be sentenced to not less than 96 hours in SD county jail; of which 48 hours should be consecutive, and a fine of $390 to $1,000 will be paid. 
• Your Drivers license will be suspended for roughly 3-4 months depending on the specifics of your San Diego DUI.
• You will have to participate in a court ordered DUI alcohol assessment and treatment program.  The length of which depends on the alcohol assessment.  Minimum is a 3 month DUI program up to 12-18 months.
• Ignition interlock device is possible.
• MADD impact panel attendence.

More San Diego DUI laws here.
The above punishments are what you’ll likely face for a first offense San Diego DUI.  For second offense DUI and other repeat offenses the punishments will be much more severe.  Please contact us for information regarding those DUI penalties as well as to schedule a free DUI consultation.

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San Diego DUI Lawyers

seem to continue to grow in numbers for some strange reason…?  Maybe it has something to do with the increasing number of DUI offenses within San Diego county… or not. 
Within the last 3 years (2005 - 2008) there has been an increase in the number of criminal defense lawyers advertising that they handle drunk driving or DUI offenses.  One of the reasons this is happening is due to the county court house and the way they are now handling DUI cases.  They’re becoming more and more ’standardized’ which means that there is less leeway to provide a proper defense.
As more and more DUI laws are passed and imposed not just within San Diego county but the entire state of California it makes it more profitable for criminal defense attorney’s to get into the ‘ DUI Business ‘ because it will take them less time, effort and energy to defend a client without having to reduce their fees.
Yes, that means that they will charge the same amount of fees for LESS service/defense for their DUI clients due to the way the San Diego County Courts are deciding to handle DUI cases.
So What Can DUI Offenders Do ?
The short answer is ‘not much’ but overall there are some options.  The first thing someone can do is to ensure that they are dealing with a reputable DUI lawyer and not a lawyer that practices the ‘windmill’ approach which is where a criminal defense lawyer focuses on getting many low cost/low time required clients in and out of the practice.  These are the practices that do heavy advertising… they focus on getting as many DUI offenders in the door as possible by offering low fees (through ad saturation throughout many, many different media sources) but then offer a very ‘non-existant’ defense.
In this regard the old adage, “You Get What You Pay For” is very, very relevant.  I hate to say it but a smaller criminal defense lawyer specializing in DUI defense here in San Diego is much more likely to give you a proper defense than a HUGE high volume ‘windmill’ type firm.

So What Can a San Diego DUI Lawyer Do For You For a 2nd Offense DUI?

First off you should not even consider trying to defend yourself if this is your second offense. You’ll absolutely want to get a San Diego DUI lawyer to defend you. The consequences/punishments you face are far too great to go it alone.
A reputable lawyer here in San Diego can fight to keep you out of jail and possibly even beat the second offense DUI depending on the circumstances of your arrest. What’s important is that you retain a skilled, aggressive San Diego DUI lawyer as soon as possible.
Waiting can worsen your chances of a favorable outcome. Call us today to discuss your case and options if you’ve been arrested for a second offense DUI in San Diego.

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Second Offense DUI in San Diego

A second offense DUI in San Diego occurs when a person is arrested and convicted of violating Vehicle Code §23252 within 10 years of a previous violation. San Diego DUI lawyers spend a good amount of time defending clients from second offense DUI arrests here throughout San Diego County.
There’s a few reasons why 2nd offenses are common;

1. After your first DUI here in San Diego you cannot legally drive (after you get your drivers license back) with any measurable amount of alcohol in your blood. So any subsequent arrests will result in a DUI conviction if your blood alcohol limit is above zero… as you can see the liklihood of getting another DUI in this circumstance is much greater.
2. Most people that get DUI convictions here in San Diego are what most people consider your typical ‘normal’ people. They’re doctors, real estate agents, CPA’s, waiters, lawyers, etc… In other words these are people that have in most cases never had a brush with the law. So a DUI is quite a shock… it’s a lot to handle and depression and anxiety weigh heavily causing an increased chance of ‘messing up’ again.

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