The other morning I was surfing the Net over coffee when I happend upon a blog post instructing individuals as to how they might successfully “self represent” in a court of law. It went over all of the “whys”, “hows”, and “whens” someone should represent themselves in court. When I got to the part of the blog where they explained how to defend a DUI I almost fell out of my chair! It was grossly inaccurate and cavalier in its advice that I had to present a counter argument–I am a lawyer, after all– lest anyone out there actually consider going before a judge after they were pulled over with a California DUI and think that they are going to convince the courts that they should be exempt from mandatory penalties imposed by our state legislature.
California has gotten very tough on DUI offenses. Your vehicle can be impounded and sold, you can lose your license, do jail time…this is not something to be taken lightly. When it comes to Hollywood DUI offenses the worst thing you can do is to represent yourself in court. Take it from this Hollywood defense attorney, no good ever comes from representing yourself in a DUI case. There are far too many penalties that are associated with DUIs today for you to take such a chance. This isn’t traffic court. You didn’t just get a speeding ticket. You have the potential for a felony on your record.
When you get a Hollywood DUI you absolutely want a lawyer on your side that knows how to mitigate the circumstances of your arrest, who can negotiate with the prosecution for better terms prior to a judge having his or her say. The prosecutor needs to already be in your corner on what the terms of the case will be. A good Los Angeles defense attorney is already working for you before you even hear the words: “All rise…”
Take if from me. If you are going to represent yourself let it be in traffic court or small claims. Never in a DUI defense.
