DUI Attorney San Diego: Preserving Your Freedom

You've been arrested for drunk driving and now need a DUI attorney. San Diego is not unlike other United States cities, in which drunk driving is not only socially abhorrent, but carries stiff legal consequences. It is now too late to change the past, but protecting your rights and future is important. You could lose your ability to drive cars, secure employment or housing, pay expensive fines, and even spend time in jail if convicted of driving while intoxicated.

There are many reasons to find a DUI attorney. San Diego has a number of choices available, even if you do not have the cash to hire your own lawyer. Unlike most other crimes, driving while intoxicated is pretty easy to prove since the defendant virtually always has a breathalyzer, urine test, or blood test performed on his person. This proves with almost 100 percent certainty that the accused did commit the crime driving under the influence of alcohol.

The next step is to use one of the many resources available to locate the right DUI attorney. San Diego citizens can look on Craigslist for a criminal defense attorney, or even in the phone book. It is important to find a lawyer that has experience with DUI cases, and can try to keep it out of the courtroom whenever possible. A good attorney can help you find resources such as Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and counseling to use long before the case ever goes to trial. This is a good way to prove to the judge and prosecuting attorneys that you made a mistake, but are trying to get help and should not have the rest of your life ruined by a criminal conviction because of it.

If you are a repeat offender or hurt someone in an accident, you need the most experienced DUI attorney. San Diego has little tolerance for people who continually break drunk driving laws, and a lawyer with many years of experience and a proven track record is essential to alleviate the consequences of driving while intoxicated.

Courts can also appoint a DUI attorney. San Diego, like other cities, has a public defender program for those who cannot afford to hire their own legal representation. You can still get quality help with a court-appointed lawyer, but may need to take more initiative on presenting your case. Even if you are not an alcoholic, going to meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous can go a long way toward convincing the state of California's justice system to give you a one-time break.