Beverly Hills DUI Attorney Advice

[yelam35]

I have a friend who was arrested recently for a Beverly Hills DUI and I'd like to help her get some good information and advice, and perhaps help her pay for a lawyer if the lawyer is in her best interest. As an aside, I'm part of the reason that she got the DUI, because I was with her and helped her get too drunk to drive.

What is the best course of action. She has court soon, and I know there is something that we need to do right away to make sure that she doesn't lose her license.

We don't live in Beverly Hills, and have less than $10,000 to spend on her defense, so I'm not sure if we are going to be able to get a very good attorney for that.

Any advice on how to get started would be greatly appreciated.

[Lawrence Taylor]

You should retain an attorney as soon as possible, preferably an experienced and reputable one whose firm limits its practice to DUI defense exclusively. Although the initial court appearance usually does not occur for a month or so after the arrest, the DMV must be contacted within 10 days to challenge the grounds for the immediate license suspension; failure to call them forfeits the right to a hearing.

The best DUI lawyers in the Los Angeles area (most are familiar with the Beverly Hills court) generally charge around $5000 to $7000 for a typical first-offense DUI. The fee will be higher if the case involves, for example, prior convictions, high speed, a child in the car, an accident or injuries, etc. A trial can run this fee up considerably higher.