DUI Lawyer in Los Angeles. |
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Los Angeles DUI Defense Lawyers and California DMV Hearings AttorneysARRESTED FOR A DUI?
Your life has just changed. The Law Offices of Gregory Charles Hill can help you change it for the better. We have extensive experience handling DUI cases in California. If you or someone you know has been charged in the state of California with a DUI ("driving under the influence" -aka: dui, dwi, 502, drunk driving, driving while intoxicated) or other DMV related crime, we can help.The Court and the DMV will be relentless and you have to defend yourself against BOTH of them. Our firm focuses on DUI defense, both in the court case, and at the DMV hearing. We have dedicated our practice to DUI / Criminal defense and we are dedicated to you. We successfully defend drivers accused of DUI virtually every day. We understand how being arrested for DUI can be devastating to you. Being handcuffed, taken to the police station, tested, maybe even having your vehicle impounded is a humiliating and frightening experience. We understand how the long-term consequences of a DUI can affect you, your job, and your family in many ways. We know that a DUI conviction can result in a three-fold increase in automobile insurance, or even cancellation. We know that a DUI conviction can result in a loss of your job, or perhaps a missed future opportunity as management passes you by. We know that even though it is unfair and sometimes illegal, the CONVICTED DUI victim can, and many times does, face employment discrimination. We understand that any jail time can disrupt your family, prejudice friendships adding stress and humiliation to an already bad situation. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED Gregory Hill can help you. Defending people who have been arrested for drunk driving is what we do. Do not think that just because you tested over the legal limit, or the test said that your blood alcohol was too high, that you have no hope. That simply is not the case. We successfully defend drivers accused of DUI every day. Let Gregory Hill make you another of the growing group of friends that have become success stories. Let our commitment to your defense and our proven system of defense be your key to success and freedom. HOW WE WILL DEFEND YOU 
We aggressively represent you in all stages of your case. Many times you will never have to appear in court.When charged with a DUI, the accused is usually facing two separate proceedings. The first is the DMV hearing. The second is the DUI Criminal proceeding. These are two separate and distinct proceedings. You have a very limited time from the date of your arrest to request a DMV hearing. At the hearing, the DMV has to prove that they have the right to suspend your license. However, you must first request the hearing, if you want them to have to prove their case. The criminal portion of the DUI may be either a misdemeanor or in some cases a felony depending on the individual case. Most DUI's are charged as misdemeanors. In that event, we can usually appear for you at most of the appearances. The DUI charge is usually two charges, the first is that you were driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and the second being that you had a blood alcohol percentage over .08%. The first charge can be brought even if your BAC was under .08%. At the first appearance, called the arraignment, we will obtain the complaint and the initial police report. It is then that we will enter your plea. NOT GUILTY. From there, we will review the police report and other discovery we obtain. From our years of experience, we will note both what is in the report, and more importantly, what is missing. Remember that the police only put in the bad stuff. We will focus on the reason for the stop, the pre-interview process, the report of your appearance, the performance of the FST's, the preliminary alcohol screening test, and the actual blood, breath or urine test taken at the station. We will then schedule time to review the report with you, and have a preliminary discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of your case. However, this is only the beginning. We have to work to get the exculpatory things, the things that may sway a jury to your side. But remember that the mere fact that some number of your BAC% is reported does not make you guilty. The process is an evolutionary one, where we must go out and get the evidence necessary to successfully defend your case. I have a forensic analyst review every DUI case for scientific issues. Many times we will have the blood retested, make sure that the proper preservative was put in, or that the BAC% is consistent with what was reported. We will investigate the breath machine, its maintenance and calibration, and the training of the police officer for that machine. We will visit the scene where you were pulled over, so that on cross examination we know what we are talking about. The DA certainly won't do that. Many times we will argue to suppress the evidence based upon 4th amendment constitutional violations. They occur much more frequently that they should. 
During this entire process we are negotiating with the District Attorney on your case, to obtain either a dismissal or reduced charges.Eventually, we either obtain a settlement acceptable to you, or we announce ready for trial. This is the point where your choice of lawyer becomes critical. We are always eager to go to trial. The choice is yours. When we prepare your case for trial, it is with an eye for a winning verdict. The trial can last several days. It is a stressful situation, but the simple fact is that good things come from trials. The point is that we fight throughout the entire process. The first thing we will do at the trial is to swear in a jury panel. The judge brings in 30 or 40 people from whom we will pick the jury. Eventually, they will be brought in and we will perform voir dire. The law says that we are not allowed to "indoctrinate" the jury, but we will try to get their feelings and share ours, and try to get rid of those we do not like. We will make various motions, whether that is to try to get in the Preliminary Alcohol Screening test, or keep it out, and to argue evidentiary matters. Each side gives an opening statement to the jury, telling them their summary of the case. Then the prosecutor puts on their side of the case. They will usually call the police officer, any witnesses, the lab technician, a forensic analyst. Our job is to cross exam each of their witnesses, and to get to the truth. For example the police officer will say that you smelled of alcohol, and did not walk a line straight. But he will fail to tell the jury that you were cooperative, did not fumble with your wallet, did not stumble getting out of the car, did not lean on anything as you were talking to him, answered his questions clearly, and followed directions well. Our job is to demonstrate all of those things to the jury. Eventually, the prosecution will rest, and we may call some witnesses. Sometimes we will have our own experts, forensic analysts, or accident reconstructionists, or investigators. Finally, we will argue some more motions, and then present our closing arguments to the jury. The judge will tell the jury what the law is, including what we have argued in our motions that the law really is. They will go off and deliberate, and if everything goes well, come back with a NOT GUILTY verdict! Let us review your case. An initial review is without obligation. 
The Law Offices of Gregory Charles Hill have experience in handling DUI cases in Los Angeles. If you or someone you know has been charged in the state of California with a DUI or other DMV-related crimes, or if you've received a DUI in Los Angeles, driving under the influence, (aka; dui, dwi, 502, drunk driving, driving while intoxicated) we can help. Arrests for DUI will result in two separate cases. First a DMV Per Se hearing must be requested within ten days of arrest or your right to a hearing may be waived and your driving privilege may be suspended or revoked. Secondly, a criminal case will be prosecuted against you which can result in fines, community service and/or jail time. A conviction for either charge can remain on your record for seven years; any future arrests for DUI within that period will result in the suspension of your license and mandatory jail time. If you have been arrested for driving under the influence, you should contact a competent and qualified attorney immediately to protect your rights. If you would like to receive a consultation with a Los Angeles DUI attorney click here.   The DUI defense DMV, crimes, drunk-driving, driving under the influence in Califnornia, white-collar offenses, federal crime, executive crime, executive offenders, or other legal defense information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. We encourage you to seek independent counsel for legal advice regarding your individual criminal defense felony or misdemeanor legal issues including DUI and DMV Crimes, DUI, Drug Offenses, Drug Possession and Crimes committed in California. Please contact a California DUI Crimes Lawyer, Criminal Defense Attorney & DUI Court Attorney. This web site is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the state of California. ©2003 The Law Offices of Gregory Charles Hill. California Criminal Defense Lawyers, California White Collar Crimes Lawyers, California Drunk Driving Attorneys, California DUI Defense Lawyers, California Federal Criminal Defense Attorneys, California Drug Charge Lawyers, California Sex Crime Attorneys, DMV and Drivers License Suspension Attorneys serving the communities of: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and Whittier, California. |  |
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