DUI

In California, and Los Angeles, a person can be charged with a DUI if their Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is 0.08% or above, or if they are driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both.  Drugs include both illegal substances as well as prescription medicine that can cause someone to be under the influence while operating a motor vehicle.  See current California DUI laws here.

Experienced DUI Attorney Ross Erlich

Facing a DUI charge can be a frustrating, confusing and scary process.  It is the most charged crime in California and is also something that law enforcement and prosecutors take very seriously due to the potential public safety issues.  You may be facing thousands of dollars in fines, up to 6 months license suspension for a first time offense (without other aggravating factors), and mandatory drinking and driving education programs.

Due to the seriousness of these offenses, effective and experienced representation from Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Ross Erlich is necessary to protect your rights.  In fact, without having an experienced DUI lawyer representing you, you could get a longer sentence, pay more in fines, have to do a longer DUI program or even have a wrongful conviction.

It is important to hire an attorney who knows the LA DUI courts, knows the prosecutors, court staff, court clerks, etc.  Knowing these people, and how the process works, is paid forward to Attorney Ross Erlich’s clients in the form of better results and more efficiency.

Why Hire DUI Lawyer Ross Erlich

If you’ve Googled “DUI lawyer Los Angeles”, you’ve seen the limitless options you have for attorneys for hire.  Why hire Attorney Ross Erlich?  Well, for starters, you might want to think twice about clicking on that first search result.  Chances are that that lawyer is spending more time investing in their online presence than fighting your case.

You might see that you are one of 10 cases that lawyer has on calendar that day, that the person you spoke to when you called up, that you liked, is not the one handing your case.  You might see that you don’t see the name of your lawyer anywhere on the website of the one that you clicked on, and gave your money to!

Attorney Ross Erlich specializes in devoting one-on-one time with his clients, communicating directly with them, he is the only lawyer in the office and you will be dealing with only him.  He prides himself on, almost exclusively, only having one client’s case on his calendar the day they have court in case anything unforeseen comes up or the client wants to send a bit more time asking questions.

Attorney Ross Erlich also prides himself on “telling it like it is”, so that a client can know if a plea deal is fair, or not, or what other expectations they can anticipate in their case.  Your lawyer should not make you empty promises, but should instead tell you the likelihood of all of the potential outcomes and what options you have.

DUI Factors

There are many strategies that Attorney Ross Erlich can use to fight your DUI arrest.  Some examples include:

• Was there probable cause for the police officer to pull you over?
• Was the arrest lawfully made?
• Were the field sobriety tests administered correctly?
• Was the breathalyzer machine properly calibrated and maintained?

Each one of these factors can be the basis for the prosecution to dismiss the charges or, in the alternative, to reduce them from a standard DUI.  Ensuring that the arresting office followed correct procedures, administered the tests correctly and addressed any medical conditions you might have that can affect the result is crucial to your defense.

The imitation of a DUI traffic stop is one of the main focuses of the case for a criminal defense lawyer.  The officer(s) must have valid probable cause to make a traffic stop.  This probable cause comes in many forms – simple vehicle code violation (failure to use turn signal, failure to make a complete stop at a stop sign, speeding), a car accident, swerving in lanes or even illegal tint on the windows.

With the proliferation of dashboard cameras, body worn video cameras, cell phone footage and the like, we are increasingly getting more evidence to view, and attack, the officer(s) probable cause for the stops.  For example, there have been cases where the officer states in their report that the probable cause of the traffic stop, which led to a DUI arrest, was the failure to use a turn signal.  Once the video footage was requested and provided to our office, we could see our client use his turn signal before making the turn in question.  Showing that to the prosecutor resulted in a favorable outcome for our client.

Many times the arresting officer does not communicate instructions correctly or effectively, thus laying the basis for improper test results due to his or her own instructions.  In other instances, there may be a language barrier, which can also cause the suspect to perform poorly on the field sobriety tests.

When you contact Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Ross Erlich, you will feel confident that the experience our office has to offer will allow you to present the strongest defense to your DUI charge.

For aggressive and vigorous defense of your rights, and your driver’s license, contact Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Ross Erlich today.

FAQs about DUIs

For starters, no, you don’t automatically have to go to jail for a DUI.  Many first offense DUIs do not result in jail time.  However, factors that might change that are whether this is your first or multiple offense, how high your blood alcohol level was, if there was an accident and/or if someone was hurt, etc.

You will not lose your driver’s license right away as long as you, or your lawyer, contact the DMV Driver’s Safety Office to request an APS hearing and request a stay on the automatic suspension within 10 days from the date of arrest.

DUIs can impact other parts of your life.  They can impact family law court proceedings (divorces, child custody, etc), they can impact your job or security clearances and they can impact any professional licenses you have with the state (to practice law, a therapist, nurse, etc.).

Also note that the criminal court and the DMV are both separate proceedings and one does not deal with the other.  In other words, you can have a criminal case dismissed while the DMV is still taking action on your license.  You could have a case where the DMV “sets aside” your matter (takes no action), let’s say because you were under a .08% blood alcohol level, but the criminal court is still charging with you DUI drugs.

Attorney Ross Erlich

If you or someone you know has been charged with a DUI, it is important to contact Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Ross Erlich as soon as possible so that the proper investigation and fact-gathering can be done on the case.  It is also imperative to have an attorney contact the DMV before the 10-day limit from the date of arrest to request a hearing.

Attorney Ross Erlich knows how, and when, to challenge the sufficiency of the evidence, or even file a motion asking the judge to throw out some of that evidence from the case.  Attorney Ross Erlich knows when to leverage plea deals, how to best position his client to negotiate those deals to avoid a conviction for a DUI, when appropriate, get a reduction in the charges or pursue a diversion that would prevent any conviction from occurring in the first place.

Because these charges are serious and are prosecuted aggressively, it is important that Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Ross Erlich examine all possible avenues for resolving the matter including AA classes, drug and/or alcohol treatment programs, both in-patient and out-patient, counseling and the like.

For aggressive and vigorous defense of your rights, contact Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Ross Erlich today.