Orange County DUI Lawyers 

As Former Prosecutors...We Know DUI Law and the Orange County Courts!

California Bar Certified Specialst in Criminal & DUI Law

 PLEASE CLICK ON THE "DUI" TAB ON THE TOP OF THIS PAGE FOR DETAILED DUI AND DRUNK DRIVNING INFORMATION

We have nearby Offices throughout Orange County, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana and Westminster.

Few people know what to do after being charged with a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or accused of Drunk Driving in Orange County California. There are a few things you should know RIGHT AWAY, such as:

• If we do not immediately contact the Orange County Driver Safety offices of the DMV within 10 days of your arrest, your drivers license will be automatically suspended.
• Contact us NOW to STOP the AUTOMATIC CALIFORNIA DMV DRIVER LICENSE SUSPENSION!
• You need an experienced, aggressive Orange County DMV lawyer on your side.

Most people arrested for DUI in Orange County are hardworking people who have never been arrested before. Perhaps they had one drink too many  they certainly dont deserve license revocation, heavy fines, jail time, or the other harsh punishments that can come from a DUI.

Former District Attorneys - Who Know the DUI Laws and Local Courts!
Unlike some law firms - You won't get an Associate Attorney!
Your Attorney will be a Partner in our Firm who is a Former Prosecutor!

At Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP, our Orange County Drunk Driving attorneys have more than 60 combined years of experience helping people with DUI charges avoid unnecessary Drunk Driving punishments. From over 50 law offices throughout Orange County and Southern California, we have helped hundreds of clients and are ready to help you.

CONTACT US TODAY: FREE CONSULTATION (866) 352-7224

Multiple Orange County DUI Lawyer offices throughout Orange County and Southern California - Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana and Westminster.

What Our Orange County DUI Defense Lawyers and Orange County DMV Lawyers Can Do For You

Many people think that they can only be arrested or accused of being a drunk driver if they fail breathalyzer testing. Not true   California drunk driving law allows police to make DUI arrests for any level of blood alcohol content. They can arrest you on the basis of any number of factors, including field sobriety tests or their own subjective assessment.

Our Orange County DUI Lawyers know how to fight DUI charges. Our attorneys have many strategies at our disposal, including:

• Challenging the traffic stop
• Challenging the arrest
• Challenging their often subjective assessment whether you were even drunk or not
• Often entering a plea and getting a lesser sentence on your behalf without you needing to go to court
• Recommending alcohol treatment instead of jail

Another defense our Orange County Drunk Driving attorneys often use is called the Rising Blood Alcohol Defense. Alcohol takes an hour to be absorbed into the blood, so if your last drink was less than hour before the stop, it can hardly be said to be affecting your driving. But it can push a breathalyzer test over the limit! This simply isnt fair.

Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP: One of Orange County's Most Successful DUI - DMV & Criminal Law Firms

Our Orange County drunk-driving lawyers will do whatever it takes to get you the best possible outcome. We became one of Southern Californias most successful criminal law firms by working hard for each client, using our experience and reputation to their benefit.

Contact the Orange County DUI attorneys at Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP. Tell us about your arrest and all the circumstances surrounding that arrest. It is often in the details that we find the key to your defense. The consequences of a DUI conviction can be serious:

• A first-time misdemeanor DUI, 23152 California Vehicle Code, carries 48-hour minimum jail time  in some courts. A felony DUI can mean up to three years in state prison and an additional 3-5 years for an injury accident. When your freedom is in jeopardy, you need a DUI lawyer.

• A Orange County DUI conviction can result in formal or informal probation. Mitigating circumstances and other factors may determine the amount of supervision and length of probation. Talk to your DUI lawyer about your options.

• A misdemeanor or felony dui conviction in Orange County can mean mandatory attendance at drinking driver alcohol programs. The attendance of an Alcohol Education Program depends on the circumstances and the alcohol level.  It can be required for 90 days, or six months, nine months, 18 months, or 30 months. See SAMHSA's Quick Guide to Finding Effective Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment

• You could be ordered to mandatory NA Narcotics Anonymous or AA meetings.Alcoholics Anonymous - en Español AlaNon/AlaTeen

• The Orange County Alcoholics Anonymous meetings can be found at www.oc-aa.org. For Orange County AA meetings in Spanish call (714) 541-7225.

• AA - North Orange County - 1111 E. Commonwealth, Suites C & D, Fullerton 714-773-4357 (24 hours) http://www.aanoc.com/

• AA - Central Orange County - 1526 Brookhollow Drive, Suite 75, Santa Ana 714-556-4555 (24 hours)

• AA - South Orange County - 27281 Las Ramblas, Suite 135, Mission Viejo  949-582-2697 (24 hours)

• When you have a court case pending, be sure to keep track of your AA attendance.  Often called a "Court Card", which can be any piece of paper, is used to log your attendance at the meetings.  Simply write the Date of Attendance, the Name or Location of the meeting, and have the AA meeting leader sign or initial your card or piece of paper.  Usually, attending AA at least few times per week is encouraged.

• Many Alcohol Programs offer alternatives to 12-step or AA meetings.

• You may be required to install an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) to your car's ignition system. To start your car, you would first have to blow into a handheld device to check your breath for alcohol. The cost of an IID varies with the manufacturer and the service provider.

• For information on IID installation and costs, contact AutoSense (866) 352-7224 or (800)-325-2656; Consumers Safety Technology (866) 352-7224 or (877) 777-5020; Guardian Systems (866) 352-7224 or (800) 499-0994, Life Saver (866) 352-7224 or (800) 210-8087 and Smart Start, Inc. (800) 880-3394.

• You may be subject to thousands of dollars in penalties including significant fines, penalty assessments, and victim restitution fund payments.

• If you refused a chemical test (breath or blood test), you could face additional penalties, even jail time. This must be challenged, for even a first offense may result in a one-year license suspension. A second chemical test refusal offense within ten years will result in a two-year DMV license revocation. An additional offense in a ten-year period will result in a three-year license revocation.

• Your vehicle can be impounded or even permanently forfeited and sold, leaving you with a car payment for a car you no longer own.

• The DMV can suspend your driver's license. You need to request a DMV hearing within ten days of your arrest in order to get a restricted license.

• You could face significant auto insurance rate increases or even car insurance cancellations. Proof of insurance (form SR-22) must be filed with the DMV.

• You may be required to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) victim impact panel. Orange County MADD information (949) 224-9000

What is Orange County DUI Court? 

The Orange County DUI Court Program is a court supervised, comprehensive treatment collaborative for non-violent DUI offenders. The DUI Cout is a team approach with representatives from the Orange County Health Care Agency, Orange County Probation Department, the Orange County District Attorney's Office and your attorney.

Orange County DUI Court Program Requirements

The case must originate in Orange County.

The offender must reside in Orange County throughout his or her time in the DUI Program.

The offender must be at least eighteen years old.

The offender does not have a history of violence, sex crimes or drug trafficking.

The offended admits to having a history of alcohol and or substance abuse and attends self-help meetings, e.g. AA meetings.

And there are many other requirements detailed in the DUI Court Program Handbook, such as: frequent court appearances (initially every two weeks to ultimately every six weeks), serving a mandatory jail sentence (usually as electronic home confinement), remaining sober, being gainfully employed, have a sponsor, complete a DMV SB38 program, attend a MADD Panel and all DUI Court ordered activities and alcohol and drug testing, 10:00 PM or Midnight curfew, volunteer service and pay monthly fees.

The DUI Court Program is not an easy alternative to doing jail time.  The DUI Court Program requires much time and effort as individuals confront their issues with alcohol.  Each participant receives counseling and support as they face the addiction to alcohol that landed them in court.  In the end, the DUI Court Program will be a positive life changing experience for every participant.  The Rule of the Progam are NOT flexible and exceptions will not be granted.

Finally, there are several phases to the Orange County DUI Court Program: Window Phase - at least 14 days; Orientation Phase - at least 21 days; Phase One - at least 90 days; Phase Two - at least 120 days; Phase Three - at least 120 days.

If  you are interested in learing more about the Orange County DUI Court Program, please call us for a Free Consultation at (866) 352-7224

Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP is more than just Orange County DUI lawyers. Our criminal defense attorneys have the experience, skill, and knowledge to help with any criminal matter, including:

• Drivers license suspension
• Drug crimes
• Sex crimes
• Solicitation of prostitution
• Sexual assault
• Juvenile crimes
• Shoplifting
• Burglary, theft, robbery

Please visit our Orange County DUI lawyers contact page or call (866) 352-7224 immediately for a FREE initial consultation with any of our attorneys. With over 50 locations throughout Southern California, we are within easy reach of anyone in Orange County, CA or the surrounding areas.

Orange County DUI attorneys representing Orange County DUI clients throughout California in communities such as Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forrest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana, Westminster, Yorba Linda, Orange County Calif.