The RegistryPractice Area · Statewide
DUI Defense Attorneys in California
Counsel for the ten days that matter most — DMV hearings and DUI court defense. This is the statewide record for DUI defense in California — every attorney on the State Bar of California's official roll whose practice reaches this shelf, scored in the open by the published Growth Score.
Californians search this field under many names — dui lawyer, dui attorney, dui defense attorney, dui defense lawyer, dmv hearing lawyer — and the registry answers all of them from the same source. Below: the governing deadline with its citation, what to weigh as you read the roster, the questions Californians ask with the code sections that answer them, and the record city by city, from the North Coast to the border.
The clock & the craft
Ten days from arrest to request the DMV administrative hearing.
Cal. Veh. Code § 13353.2
The DMV's administrative per se suspension is separate from the criminal case — missing the 10-day window forfeits the hearing. Most misdemeanor DUI charges must be filed within one year (Cal. Penal Code § 802).
Reading the roster
The first deadline is the case: ten days to request the DMV hearing, so contact counsel immediately after arrest. Look for attorneys who defend DUIs in the specific courthouse where the case will be heard, ask about their approach to the stop, the field tests, and the chemical-test evidence (calibration, rising-BAC, blood-draw procedure), and whether they staff the DMV hearing themselves. Flat fees by case stage are the norm in this practice.
DUI Defense · statewide roster
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DUI Defense questions, cited
What happens to my license after a DUI arrest in California?
Two tracks run at once. The DMV's administrative per se process moves to suspend the license for driving at 0.08% BAC or higher (Cal. Veh. Code § 13353.2) — you have ten days from arrest to request a hearing, or the suspension takes effect automatically. The criminal case in superior court proceeds separately, and its outcome triggers its own license consequences (Veh. Code § 13352).
What are the penalties for a first DUI in California?
A first misdemeanor conviction typically carries three to five years of informal probation, fines and penalty assessments, a three-month (or longer) DUI program (Cal. Veh. Code § 23538), a license suspension with restricted-license options, and possible jail up to six months (Veh. Code § 23536). Most first offenders can drive with an ignition interlock device or restrictions under Veh. Code § 13352.4.
Can a DUI become a felony in California?
Yes — when it causes injury to another (Cal. Veh. Code § 23153, chargeable as a felony), when it is a fourth DUI within ten years (Veh. Code § 23550), or when the driver has a prior felony DUI (§ 23550.5). DUI causing death can be charged as gross vehicular manslaughter (Cal. Penal Code § 191.5) or, with prior DUI advisements, second-degree murder under People v. Watson (1981) 30 Cal.3d 290.
Do prior DUIs count against me, and for how long?
California uses a ten-year lookback: prior DUI and "wet reckless" convictions within ten years elevate the penalties for a new offense (Cal. Veh. Code § 23540, § 23546). A wet reckless plea under Veh. Code § 23103.5 reduces immediate penalties but still counts as a prior. Convictions also remain on the criminal record unless later dismissed under Penal Code § 1203.4.
Can I refuse a breath or blood test in California?
After a lawful DUI arrest, refusing chemical testing triggers a mandatory one-year license suspension for a first refusal under the implied consent law (Cal. Veh. Code § 23612, § 13353), on top of any DUI penalties — and the refusal is admissible. Pre-arrest handheld screening tests are generally optional for drivers 21 and over who are not on DUI probation.
Legal information, not legal advice.
From the answer files
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Adjacent shelves of the law
Read the record. Then decide.
Describe your matter once, weigh the published scores, and place the call — the choice is always yours.
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