Evaluating Your Case
Once your Sacramento DUI attorney meets with you and agrees to take your case, he will conduct a thorough investigation. The purpose of this is twofold: 1) to determine how strong a case the state has, and 2) to get a sense for how he will proceed with your defense.
The prosecution will file charges early on; often, some of these are tacked on as negotiating ploys and are not backed up by strong evidence. Your Sacramento DUI attorney will analyze which charges are strongest, and consider whether they will provide the state with the reasonable doubt necessary to convict you. If so, he will evaluate whether a plea bargain may be offered.
Weighing the EvidenceIssues that can affect your potential for acquittal begin at the moment you are stopped. Your attorney will consider whether the officer had probable cause to stop you, and whether he followed proper procedure thereafter. Your own demeanor during the stop is important as well. If you were lucid and cooperative, it may be argued that this is inconsistent with any elevated blood alcohol content in testing. During the trial, an expert witness can be called to testify about weaknesses in BAC testing.
Other evidence your Sacramento DUI attorney will weigh includes the following:
- Field sobriety tests—how they were given, and the results
- Witnesses
- The arresting officer’s report
- Whether you have a criminal record
DUI charges are serious, and a conviction can negatively affect you in many ways. If you have been arrested for DUI, call Sacramento DUI attorney Param Pabla at (916) 285-7900.