DUI Lawyer Paramount. Paramount DUI charges are very serious. You're being accused of a crime; depending on your history, you could go to prison. California law also prohibits you from refusing to take a DUI test, and in some cases, refusing can give you even worse penalties. And there are differences in DUI alcohol versus DUI marijuana cases, or other drugs.
If you're facing these types of charges in CA, you need someone in your corner. Trying to defend yourself against the charges is a challenge nobody should have to face on their own, which is why the Law Offices of David S. Chesley is at your service.
We are California's top DUI defense lawyers and decades of experience fighting against these charges. When you retain us, you're getting a team of DUI defense experts who know how to operate the Paramount, CA, judicial system and get you the best outcome possible.
Don't wait and let your chance slip away. Speak with one of our attorneys right away at (800) 755-5174 or tell us about your charges online to start putting together your defense today.
Paramount, CA, DUI Lawyer Traffic Stop Tips:
We'd all love to drive without any risk of being pulled over, but even if you've done nothing wrong, you need to know how to navigate the situation. Here are four tips from a Paramount, CA, DUI Lawyer for you to help you get through any traffic stops unscathed:
Tip #1: Keep Your Documents Together
Keep your license, insurance card, and vehicle registration together and easily accessible. If you're struggling to locate them and keep hold of them, the officer may think you're intoxicated. But if you already have them ready, you avoid that risk.
Tip #2: Don't Talk If Alcohol Is Smelled
You never need to answer a question that might incriminate you. You have the right to remain silent during the entirety of your interactions with the law. Protect yourself by keeping quiet until your lawyer arrives.
Tip #3: Don't Participate in Field Sobriety Tests, Unless Required
Participation in field sobriety tests is not required for people over the age of 21 who aren't on probation. This doesn't stop the officer from arresting you, but can decrease your chances of having this happen. However, this isn't the case for every test; if you're already in custody and are asked to perform a breath or blood based test, California law does require you to participate.
Tip #4: Respect the Law Enforcement Officer
Refusing to cooperate with the police won't help — it can end up making your case harder to defend. This is about more than just avoiding an arrest in the short term; it also helps your defense: When you resist or act disrespectfully, you are giving the police more evidence, which may help justify an arrest.
What Happens After a DUI Arrest in Paramount?
California DUI Law allows an officer to arrest you independant of your blood alcohol concentration, or even if you aren't tested at all. The police can use other methods to determine whether or not you were safe to drive, typically with field sobriety tests, then make judgements based on how you do.
If you've been placed under arrest, the CA legal system will proceed with both a license suspension and criminal charges. You can expect the following steps to play out in your case:
- Suspension: Your license suspension effective immediately after your arrest – you will be given a 30-day, temporary license, and your permanent license will be confiscated by the officer. While you're processing this, the police are contacting the DMV about your DUI arrest, at which point, you're officially facing a license suspension.
- Arraignment: While under arrest, you will attend a hearing, and a prosecutor will list out the laws you're accused of breaking.
- DMV Hearing: As soon as you're released from jail, you'll have 10 days after the arrest to contact the DMV for a hearing.
- Pretrial Motions: Often, at the same time as your arraignment, the court will set conditions for your release, pending a trial. In the interim, your Paramount DUI defense lawyer will be filing motions, including motions to review the arrest footage, and a "blood split" motion to get a second test for your blood sample.
- Negotiations With the Prosecutor: While filing pretrial motions, your DUI defense attorney will bargain with the Paramount district attorney to present you with plea deal offers that could protect your freedom. But if the prosecutor won't give you a favorable offer, your attorney should be preparing now.
- Criminal Trial: Your case probably will not go to trial, but at the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, we're prepared to fight for your freedom in front of a jury, no matter what .
- Sentencing/Sealing: Depending on the result of your case, you may face penalties. However, if you are found not guilty or enough time has passed, it's possible that your record will be eligible for sealing.
Our DUI legal experts can help you fight any allegation, on both the criminal defense and bureaucratic side. If you're facing a potential conviction, you can start with a call to our offices!
Paramount, CA, DUI Differences: Criminal Cases vs. DMV Hearings
Paramount, CA, DUI charges are special because of their dual-nature: The criminal case and the administrative case. Different CA organizations cover each of these aspects, but a leading DUI defense attorney from our offices will fight for you in both cases.
Here are descriptions of both case categories, and ways we defend your liberty and ability to drive:
Paramount, CA, DUI Criminal Charges
Allegedly violating DUI laws will result in criminal charges. To fight them, you'll have to go through CA courts.
If you're familiar with the process of other criminal charges, DUI cases follow the same format – arrest, arraignment, pretrial activity, and possibly trial.
At the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, we present reasonable doubt and fight against the charges. We'll examine the lawfulness of the traffic stop, demonstrate any present errors in the police officer's judgement, look for weaknesses in the breathalyzer test, and look for witness testimony and other proof that can result in a not guilty plea.
We know what it takes to keep DUI defense clients out of jail in Paramount, CA. For many clients, we'll work out a plea for reduced charges, typically to a wet reckless, exhibition of speed, or reckless driving charge. We'll also argue for probation to maintain your freedom.
Paramount, CA, DUI License Suspension
Meanwhile, you need to worry about the DMV and your license suspension. This suspension is independent of the criminal case, and if you want to fight it, you'll need to request an administrative hearing within ten days of your arrest.
At the administrative hearing, you're not facing criminal charges. In fact, even if you receive a "not guilty" verdict, you can still lose your license. Instead, the focus of this hearing is whether or not you were rightfully arrested, if your BAC was at or above 0.08, the legal limit, or, if you refused to blow, whether or not you were properly informed of the consequences. These hearings have serious consequences that require an expert Paramount, CA, DUI lawyer to navigate. At the hearing, we'll fight the legitimacy of the stop, the arrest, and the BAC reading.
After ten days, though, there probably isn't a way to get your license back immediately. Outside of rare cases, you don't get any more chances to arrange for that hearing. This is why it's vital to contact a Paramount DUI defense lawyer promptly after the arrest.
DUI Punishments in Paramount
Paramount, CA, DUI criminal penalties can permanently affect your life – though you could 'only' be facing misdemeanors, you're still facing a year in jail, or six months for a first offense.
In this table, you can review the different penalties you could be looking to avoid, depending on the circumstances of the alleged offense:
| Alleged DUI Offense | Jail/Prison Time | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| First Time DUI | 48 Hours to 6 Months | Up to $1,000 |
| Second Time DUI | 96 Hours to 1 Year | Up to $1,000 |
| Third Time DUI | 120 Days to 1 Year | Up to $1,000 |
| Fourth Time DUI (Felony) | 16 Months to 3 Years | Up to $1,000 |
| DUI Injury (Misdemeanor) | Up to 1 Year | Up to $1,000 |
| DUI Injury (Felony) | Up to 4 Years | Up to $5,000 |
| DUI Manslaughter (Misdemeanor) | Up to 1 Year | Up to $1,000 |
| DUI Manslaughter (Felony) | 4, 6 or 10 Years | Up to $10,000 |
Beyond any sentence that a judge in Paramount, CA, sentences you to, you also need to worry about collateral consequences, such as more expenses on your insurance and roadblocks when applying for professional licenses.
DUIs and Immigration
DUI immigration consequences can turn your world upside down. If this is your first DUI, the good news is that you will likely be able to stay in the country. The bad news is that if something made this allegation more serious, like an injured bystander, you can qualify for deportation. What's worse, if H.R.875 passes, any DUI conviction will qualify an immigrant for deportation. If you are currently applying to become a U.S. citizen, even if you aren't deported, it can set your efforts back by several years.
A DUI accusation doesn't have to end your time in the United States. You can get help from your Paramount, CA, immigration lawyer. At the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, you can rest assured that our lawyers can guide you through both your criminal case and your citizenship process: We'll explore diversion programs that will protect you from the harshest outcomes, defend you against efforts to expel you from the country, and guide you through your citizenship application.
After the Case: Expungement/Sealing
Whether your case ends in a conviction or an acquittal, it's natural to want to move on and leave this in the past. Unfortunately, your arrest and/or criminal record doesn't go away easily. Depending on your case outcome, it might be possible to either expunge or seal your records. A Paramount, CA, DUI defense lawyer can help you with these processes, and give you an opportunity to clean your record.
Important Qualities You Need in a Paramount, CA DUI Attorney
Defending yourself against a DUI in Paramount? It's critical to pick the right lawyer to defend your innocence. Your team needs the abilities, history, and connections to secure a positive outcome for your case. Here are the main things to look for in your Paramount, CA, DUI defense lawyer:
- Experience: Ideally from multiple sides of the legal system. At the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, our DUI lawyers have previous experience as judges, district attorneys, and law enforcement, totalling over five decades of experience handling cases.
- Availability: You should be able to get help fast, whenever you need it. Our lines are never off, and you can contact us 24/7.
- Relationships: Relationships are key in negotiating strong plea bargains. Our firm has experience working with the prosecutors in Paramount and all throughout CA.
- Reputation: Both in the community and in the legal sphere. The Law Offices of David S. Chesley is proud to have received top ratings from several legal evaluators and to be recognized as the top DUI lawyer in California.
- Track Record of Success: Winners win. It's as simple as that. And we win, a lot. In fact, 95% of our DUI cases result in no jail time.
Our recent DUI Case results speak for themselves. We want you to be our next success story.
DUI Case Types We Fight in Paramount
Administrative, criminal, or anything else related to DUIs in Paramount, CA – your DUI defense lawyer from our team prepared help you navigate the charges.
Here is a list of the DUI charges we often defend:
- Boating Under the Influence
- Breathalyzer Test
- Commercial Driver CDL DUI
- Disorderly Conduct
- Disturbing the Peace
- DMV Hearing Defense
- Driving with a Suspended License
- Driving Without a License
- Driving Without Insurance
- Drug DUI
- Drunk in Public
- DUI Alcohol
- DUI Accident Defense
- DUI and Professional Licenses in California
- DUI Blood Test Defense
- DUI Causing Injury
- DUI Checkpoint Defense Attorney
- DUI Defense Costs
- DUI Expungement in California
- DUI Immigration Consequences
- DUI in Construction Zones and School Zones
- DUI License Reinstatement
- DUI Probation Violation
- DUI Process – What to Expect
- DUI Marijuana
- DUI Prescription Drugs
- DUI Refusal Cases
- DUI Trial – Jury Trial Defense
- DUI Penalties
- DUI with Child Passenger
- Evasion
- Exhibition of Speed
- Felony DUI
- Field Sobriety Tests
- First-Time DUI
- Fourth DUI Felony Escalation
- Hit and Run
- Hit and Run DUI
- Hit and Run with Injury or Death
- Ignition Interlock Device Violations
- Illegal Traffic Stop – Probable Cause Defense
- Medical Conditions as a Defense to DUI
- Misdemeanor vs Felony DUI Overview
- Mouth Alcohol Defense to DUI
- Out-of-State DUI
- Public Intoxication
- Reckless Driving
- Rising Blood Alcohol Defense
- Street Racing
- Second Time DUI
- Third DUI California
- Title 17 Violation of Breath and Blood Test Procedures Defense
- Underage DUI
- Watson Murder / DUI Murder
- Wet Reckless
DUI Defense Strategies in Paramount, CA
Every DUI case needs a defensive strategy, and our Paramount, CA DUI defense lawyers are here to help you find the right one. While there are many effective legal strategies available, picking the right one can make all the difference.
Challenge the Legitimacy of the Arrest
The police need to follow rules when initiating a traffic stop and investigating a potential DUI. If they broke those rules, we can challenge the evidence, and even the legitimacy of the case itself. This defense is effective if, for example, you were not read your Miranda rights before an interrogation, anything you said could be thrown out.
Flaws in Blood, Breath, and/or Urine Tests
Fighting against chemical tests can be difficult, but a skilled DUI defense attorney will know how to look for flaws in them. Our team will look into any issues with how the equipment was stored or used, introduce alternative evidence when possible, and highlight any errors in the chain of custody.
Challenge Field Sobriety Tests
Field sobriety tests, like 'one-leg stand,' are a widely-recognized way of evaluating somebody's level of impairment. But ultimately, these are judgment calls on the part of the officer. Your local DUI lawyer will inspect any records of the test and point out situations where law enforcement unfairly failed our clients on these tests.
Explain BAC With Medical Conditions
While the police can make mistakes with breathalyzer tests, most of the time they perform them properly. This could be bad news if you were tested and your BAC was over the legal limit. Even though this is harder to fight, we won't give up yet. If you have certain medical conditions, those can cause false positives. For example, some inhalers can artificially raise the amount of alcohol in your breath, depending on how they are used.
Get Immediate Help – Contact Our Paramount DUI Defense Lawyers NOW
When you're up against Paramount DUI charges, it can feel like you don't even have time to think. You lose your license, you might be interrogated, you get a court date…it's easy to be out of control. With everything going on, your best way out is to call an attorney as soon as possible.
Don't wait for the prosecution to build a case against you. Don't let your license go without a fight. Don't wait and realize that it's suddenly too late. Hire the Law Offices of David S. Chesley to represent you.
We're experts at defending all Paramount, CA DUI charges. We're equipped with the tools to build your case fast and will work on a strategy to defend your license and your rights now. Reach out to us now at (800) 755-5174 or get in touch online for a no strings attached consultation.
We also provide the following legal services in Paramount, CA:
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