Los Angeles DUI Jury Trials
There are often times when Clients and their DUI Attorney's must consider going to trial forDUI charges. Some examples of situations where
DUI Attorneys at the Law Offices of Loren M. Merlin go to trial are when the punishment offers the client receives are not acceptable, the client cannot lose their drivers license, they have a professional license or the evidence is in their favor. Those are the most common situations where clients will have a
DUI jury trial.
The DUI jury trial is Los Angeles County consists of the following procedures:
- Jury Selection
- Opening Statements
- The Prosecution's Case is Presented
- The Defense's Case is Presented
- Closing Statements
- Verdict
- Sentencing
DUI jury trials usually last from one week to two weeks. Many times the
defense offers expert testimony to refute the blood alcohol levels if there was a breath test, blood test or urine test. Also, if there are any eye witnesses that can testify they will often times be subpoenaed to the court.
The prosecutors have a hurdle to cross in order to convict a person for a DUI in Los Angeles. The prosecutor must convince all twelve jurorsbeyond a reasonable doubt that the person was indeed driving under the influence. At the Law Offices of Loren M. Merlin, the DUI Attorneys have the knowledge to raise doubt in the minds of the jurors that the person beyond a reasonable doubt was driving under the influence.
As you can imagine, there is a great amount of strategy which the DUI lawyer must apply in order to successfully win a DUI jury trial. Please contact the lawyers at the Law Office of Loren M. Merlin where we can discuss the pros and cons of a jury trial for your particular situation. Common Penalties for DUI's are:
- Imprisonment in jail or prison
- Court fees
- Fines
- Drivers License Suspension
- Community Service
- Probation
- DUI School
- Mandatory Alcohol or drug class
- Mandatory installation of ignition interlock device
Also the number of previous DUI's convicted of, prior criminal records, or other enhancements increase the severity of the penalties.
If you have any questions, call the Los Angeles office of the Law Office of Loren M. Merlin where an experienced attorney will be happy to offer a free consultation. DUI related offenses are all that theLaw Offices of Loren M. Merlin handle and take great pride in offering aggressive and effective legal assistance.