MISSION BEACH DUI LAWYER

Mission Beach DUI Lawyer

Mission Beach’s youthful population and lively nightlife make the San Diego neighborhood a prime spot for driving under the influence (DUI) arrests, and if you have been arrested for DUI in Mission Beach, your first course of action should be to contact an experienced lawyer who specializes in DUI defense. DUI charges in Mission Beach can have a major adverse impact on your personal and professional life, possibly leading to jail time, hefty fines and a suspension or revocation of your driver’s license, among other potential penalties, and the best way to avoid a DUI conviction is to contact a knowledgeable Mission Beach DUI lawyer to represent your case. At Sevens Legal, our DUI defense attorneys have more than 40 years of combined experience representing clients in drunk driving cases in Mission Beach and throughout San Diego and Southern California, and we can help you minimize the negative consequences of a DUI arrest or conviction.

Qualified Mission Beach DUI Lawyer

If you have been arrested for or charged with misdemeanor or felony DUI in Mission Beach, you are probably worried about how a DUI conviction could affect your future and the well-being of your family. Truth be told, DUIs are serious offenses that are punished harshly under California law, and the consequences of a DUI can extend far beyond financial cost. In addition to hefty fines and a potential jail sentence, a drunk driving conviction can cost you your job and your personal and professional reputation, and having a DUI on your criminal record could even prevent you from obtaining employment in the future. Our DUI defense lawyers at Sevens Legal understand how devastating a DUI conviction would be for you and your loved ones and we will do everything in our power to help you obtain a favorable resolution to your case.

When you are facing DUI charges in Mission Beach, you want an attorney on your side who knows the ins and outs of the Mission Beach court system and has a proven history of success in the courtroom. At Sevens Legal, our trial-tested DUI lawyers have an in-depth understanding of California DUI laws and how they apply to your case, and we are also familiar with the inner workings of the Mission Beach court system. Drunk driving offenses carry stiff penalties in Mission Beach, and hiring a knowledgeable DUI lawyer to represent your case could mean the difference between going to jail and walking away with your freedom intact. At Sevens Legal, we have years of experience defending clients against drunk driving charges, and we will work tirelessly to help you get the best possible outcome in your case. We also offer prospective clients a free initial consultation, which means you can have our DUI lawyers assess the strengths and weaknesses of your case with no obligation to hire our firm.

Mission Beach DUI

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a crime in every state, but California has taken a particularly tough stance against drunk driving and thus has some of the toughest DUI laws and penalties in the country. In Mission Beach, you can face a severe punishment even for a first-time DUI offense, and the negative consequences of a DUI conviction can follow you for years to come. Most DUI arrests in Mission Beach are the result of a traffic stop or DUI checkpoint, where a law enforcement officer makes a stop and conducts a DUI investigation because he or she suspects the driver of alcohol or drug use. If you are stopped for DUI in Mission Beach, the officer will likely observe you for signs of intoxication and may also ask you to take a roadside breathalyzer test and/or perform a series of field sobriety tests to determine your level of intoxication, if any. If you take the breathalyzer test and your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) measures 0.08% or higher, the officer can use the test as probable cause to arrest you for DUI. If you refuse the test – which you have the right to do unless you are under the age of 21 or on probation for a DUI offense – and the officer has other reason to believe you may be intoxicated, he or she can still arrest you for DUI and take you to the police station, where you will be legally required to submit to a DUI breath or blood test.

DUI – California Vehicle Code § 23152 VC

If you have been arrested for DUI in Mission Beach, you may be charged with two separate violations of the California Vehicle Code: VC § 23152 (a), which is the law that makes it a crime to drive under the influence of alcohol, and VC § 23152 (b), which is the law that makes it a crime to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. These are essentially two separate crimes that can arise from the same act, and you can be guilty of breaking both laws when you drive under the influence of alcohol in Mission Beach.

Penalties for a Mission Beach DUI

In Mission Beach, a DUI conviction will remain on your driving record for ten years, and because DUI is a “priorable” offense, the punishment increases with each subsequent drunk driving offense that takes place within a ten-year period. In most cases, first, second and third DUIs in Mission Beach are misdemeanor offenses, but for a fourth or subsequent DUI occurring within ten years, the prosecution has the discretion to pursue felony charges. The penalties associated with a felony DUI conviction are much more severe than for a misdemeanor DUI, but having any DUI conviction on your record, misdemeanor or felony, is something you want to avoid at all costs. The following are the criminal penalties you could face for a DUI in Mission Beach:

First-Time DUI Offense (Misdemeanor)

• Up to six months in county jail,
• Misdemeanor probation,
• Driver’s license suspension for six months,
• DUI school for three to nine months,
• Up to $1,000 in fines, plus additional fees and costs, and/or
• Installation of an ignition interlock device (IID).

Second-Time DUI Offense (Misdemeanor)

• Up to one year in county jail,
• Misdemeanor probation,
• Driver’s license suspension for two years,
• DUI school for 18 to 30 months,
• Up to $1,000 in fines, plus additional fees and costs, and/or
• Installation of an IID.

Third-Time DUI Offense (Misdemeanor)

• Up to one year in county jail,
• Misdemeanor probation,
• Driver’s license suspension for three years,
• DUI school for 30 months,
• Up to $1,000 in fines, plus additional fees and costs, and/or
• Installation of an IID.

Fourth & Subsequent DUI Offense (Felony)

• 16 months, two, three or four years in state prison,
• Felony probation,
• Driver’s license suspension for four years,
• DUI school for 30 months,
• Up to $1,000 in fines, plus additional fees and costs,
• Installation of an IID, and/or
• Habitual Traffic Offender registration.

What to do After a DUI Arrest

Don’t Answer Any Questions

Being arrested for DUI in Mission Beach can be frightening and stressful, and the first thing you’ll likely want to do when the police start asking you questions about the DUI is try to explain your situation or talk your way out of facing criminal charges. And the police are more than willing to let you talk, because they are hoping you’ll incriminate yourself or make an admission of guilt. The best way to protect yourself following a DUI arrest is to exercise your right to remain silent and wait for your attorney to arrive, so you can avoid saying anything that can be used against you later.

Contact a Skilled DUI Lawyer

DUI charges are handled in criminal court, and any time you are facing criminal charges for DUI or another offense, you have the right to represent yourself in court. However, unless you have extensive experience and training in DUI defense, you could be doing yourself a disservice by attempting to handle your case on your own. DUI law is complicated and constantly changing, and each DUI case is different, with unique facts and circumstances that can affect prosecution, defense and sentencing. Hiring an experienced Mission Beach DUI lawyer to represent your case is the best way to avoid ruining your record with a DUI conviction. At Sevens Legal, our DUI lawyers have a proven record of success defending clients against DUI charges in Mission Beach and throughout San Diego and Southern California, and with our legal team on your side, you can significantly improve your chances of avoiding a DUI conviction or mitigating the criminal charges and/or penalties imposed by the court.

Mission Beach DUI Defense

Being arrested for DUI in Mission Beach may seem like the end of the world, but the two key things to remember are this: DUI cases are rarely hopeless, and you still have important rights. No matter how dire your situation may seem, you are legally presumed innocent of the DUI charges until proven guilty, and the burden of proof in a DUI case lies with the prosecution. In order to get a conviction for DUI in Mission Beach, the prosecution must prove each element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the highest standard of proof in any court in the United States. The following are the key elements the prosecution must establish for a simple misdemeanor DUI charge:

• You drove a motor vehicle, and
• When you drove, you were under the influence of alcohol, or had a BAC of 0.08% or higher.

If your alleged DUI caused injury or death to another person, or if there were other so-called “aggravating” factors involved, such as excessive speed, reckless driving or exceptionally high BAC, the prosecution will have to prove these additional elements beyond a reasonable doubt as well.

Defense Strategies for a Mission Beach DUI

The most important thing to remember when facing criminal charges for DUI in Mission Beach is that a charge is merely an accusation, not a conviction. There are a number of defenses your attorney can present in court to challenge the accusation and defeat the DUI charges, including the following:

• Lack of probable cause
• Unlawful arrest
• Illegal DUI checkpoint
• Police misconduct
• No driving
• False positive DUI test
• Miranda violation
• Title 17 violation
• Forced blood draw

How Our Mission Beach DUI Lawyers Can Help

California law enforcement officers and prosecutors alike take DUI charges extremely seriously, and the punishment you could face as a result of a DUI conviction can be life-changing. That being said, DUI is a charge that experienced defense attorneys routinely beat. The key to defeating DUI charges in Mission Beach is having an attorney on your side who understands the intricacies of California DUI law, your criminal history and the specific facts of your case. When you hire our DUI lawyers at Sevens Legal, we will immediately get to work meticulously reviewing the facts of your case, advising you of the possible consequences of a DUI conviction, ensuring that you understand your options under the law, and devising a solid defense strategy based on your specific situation. Depending on the circumstances of your case, we may be able to negotiate with the prosecution to get your case dismissed or your charges reduced to a lesser offense carrying a lighter sentence. If your DUI case goes to trial, our lawyers will represent your best interests, advocate for you throughout the duration of your criminal case and ensure that you present the strongest possible defense available to you.

Contacting a Mission Beach DUI Lawyer Near Me

Depending on the circumstances of the case, a criminal conviction for drunk driving in Mission Beach can cost you your job, your professional licensing, your reputation, your relationships with friends and loved ones, and much more, all of which are worth fighting for. No matter how serious the DUI charges against you may be, we can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have an experienced DUI lawyer on your side to protect your rights and help you avoid a damaging DUI conviction. Contact our competent and resourceful DUI defense attorneys at Sevens Legal today to schedule a free initial consultation and DUI case evaluation.