3rd Offense DUI Lawyers In Los Angeles – Criminal Law Firm

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Former Sr. DUI Prosecutors Now Los Angeles 3rd Offense DUI Lawyers

If you have been arrested for a 3rd DUI, the mandatory penalties you are up against are significantly harsher than what you faced in your 1st and 2nd offense drunk driving charges. DUI convictions are considered “priorable,” allowing for the penalty can be enhanced for a repeat offender, despite the convictions bearing the same vehicle code statute of VC 23152(a)(b). Over the course of almost 3 decades, our firm has earned the reputation for having some of the best Los Angeles 3rd offense DUI lawyers throughout Southern California. Both Paul Takakjian and Stephen Sitkoff are former Senior DUI prosecutors and law enforcement instructors, each of whom has been practicing criminal and DUI defense law for over 30 years. We offer free consultations with our Los Angeles 3rd Offense DUI Lawyers who will review the facts of your case, educate you on the DUI process, and advise you of each of your potential case outcomes.

3rd DUIlos angeles 3rd offense dui lawyers

An arrest for a 3rd DUI under VC 23152 carries many similar penalties to that of a 2nd offense DUI. If convicted of a 3rd offense, you would face a mandatory sentence would involve probation, enrollment in a DUI education program, driver’s license suspension, fines, and/or community service or labor. However, the difference would be the enhanced nature of the sentence, most notably, a mandatory 120-day jail sentence. The following are a few of the penalties you face if convicted of a 3rd DUI:

  • Mandatory 120 days or up to 1 year in county jail
  • Summary probation up to 5 years
  • Fines and penalty assessments totaling approximately $2,000
  • 18 month DUI program or 30 months SB1365 multi-offender program
  • 3-year driver’s license suspension
  • 2 points on DMV record
  • Attend Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) victims impact panel
  • Attend Hospital and Morgue (HAM) program
  • Community service or labor
  • Install Ignition Interlock Device (IID) or breathalyzer in your vehicle

Is A 3rd DUI A Felony Or Misdemeanor?

A 3rd DUI can be elevated to a Felony DUI if you case involved an accident which resulted in injury to another motorist, pedestrian, or your passenger. Worst of all, if the accident resulted in death to another, you would not only be charged with felony DUI, you could face an additional felony charge of murder otherwise known as a “Watson Murder.”

3rd DUI DMV Hearing

The DMV APS license suspension hearing represents the second half of the DUI process. Similar to your 2nd DUI, you must notify DMV of your request for APS hearing within 10 calendar days of your arrest to prevent the suspension from the beginning after 30 days. Even though this may be your 3rd offense, the DMV hearing officer will base her/her decision based on the facts of the case being heard, not your prior history. Therefore, you should always make this timely request despite what may seem as overwhelming odds against you.

3rd DUI Restricted License

On July 1st, 2010, California launched a drunk driving prevention program called the Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Pilot Program across 4 counties. One of the counties selected to test the program was Los Angeles. As a result, 3rd offenders who previously had to wait until he or she completed 12 months of his or her DUI program in order to obtain a restricted license could now obtain a restricted driving privilege much sooner. However, this positive development comes with a catch, which states under the IID Pilot Program, that a 3rd offender would be able to obtain a restricted license after 180 days or 6 months from the date of court conviction after presenting DMV with the following:

  • Proof of SR22 filing
  • Proof of enrollment in an 18 month or 30 month DUI program
  • Proof of IID installation

It is important to note that the 180-day hard suspension would not begin from the date of DMV suspension. Therefore, no suspension credit would be given if the court conviction were to take place long after the DMV suspension.

Call Us Now At (888) 579-4844 For Your Free Consultation

We recognize there are thousands of drunk driving defense lawyers and law firms to choose from, however, there are very few who can match the experience and expertise we bring to every DUI case we are entrusted to defend. With the ever evolving landscape of drunk driving law, it is imperative that you choose your representation wisely, for the wrong decisions made today, not just by you, but also by an inexperienced lawyer on your behalf, can result in future collateral consequences that could have been otherwise avoided.

We place a premium on cultivating genuine attorney-client relationships with our clients built on trust and the understanding that we will do whatever it takes to obtain the best outcomes possible for them. If you have been arrested in Los Angeles County or anywhere else in Southern California, please free to contact us at (888) 579-4844 for your free no-obligation consultation at our main office in West Los Angeles. We are available 24/7 with additional offices conveniently located in Long Beach, Torrance, Pasadena, West Covina, Glendale, Orange, Newport Beach, Westlake Village, Oxnard, and Rancho Cucamonga.

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