I have a DUI in Pasadena…is it worth going to trial on it?

Question:  I have a DUI in Pasadena…is it worth going to trial on it?  I am feeling a bit frenzied about the whole thing.  What do I do?  Do I need to take a long time off of work to deal with this?  I am really nervous about having to talk in court and in front of a jury.

Answer: It’s hard to say without looking at the discovery (evidence they have against you). Some cases are worth going to trial on. I work DUI cases very vigorously prior to trial.  This allows me to do two things.

1) Prepare for trial, and

2)  Expose weaknesses in the prosecutor’s which assists in negotiating a more favorable plea agreement, including getting the DUI dismissed and/or reduced to a lesser offense and resolving the case without having to go to trial.

Once I have worked the case I can then advise whether I would advise going to trial, or resolving the case with a favorable plea agreement.  Often times many clients do not want to risk going to trial and losing, and prefer to take the favorable deals I am able to get them prior to trial even when I tell them that it is my opinion that we have a very good shot of winning at trial.

That being said, in cases that are ripe for trial, there can be an upside if you are able to win and get charges dismissed in the event the prosecutor is not willing to dismiss the charges prior to trial).

At the end, it is my clients decision on how they want to proceed.

Sincerely,

Phil Hache
DUI Attorney in Pasadena

Handling Courts in Southern California including Van Nuys, San Fernando, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Metro, Bellflower, Alhambra, Malibu, Compton, Inglewood and other Courts.
Office in Sherman Oaks