Long Beach DUI Attorney

Our Long Beach DUI defense attorneys fight driving-under-the-influence cases all over the South Bay, including Lakewood, Signal Hill, San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes. We enjoy great success in getting our clients' cases dismissed or reduced to significantly lesser charges. And if you wish it, we can always take your case all the way to trial.

Don't wait to call our Long Beach DUI Defense Law Office at (562) 633-8155 for a free consultation with a South Bay drunk driving lawyer, and you can visit us at:

Long Beach Criminal Defense
444 West Ocean Blvd.
Suite 800
Long Beach, California 90802

On this page, you'll find information from our Long Beach drunk driving lawyers about California DUI laws and what we can do for you:

Long Beach DUI lawyer John Murray

The DUI DMV Hearing

The DUI Criminal Case

DUI Penalties

Long Beach Jail & Courthouse Information

Long Beach DUI Schools

Long Beach DUI lawyer John Murray, Esq.

Chances are you've already seen Long Beach DUI defense attorney John Murray on FOX News as an expert legal commentator. He's handled more than a thousand DUI cases where he's negotiated with prosecutors to dismiss or greatly reduce his clients' charges.

Police frequently make mistakes when ARRESTING someone for DUI: Perhaps they administered the Breathalyzer incorrectly or conducted the field sobriety tests wrongly, etc. Long Beach DUI lawyer John Murray knows to search for these and other holes in the state's evidence and uses them as bargaining chips to have your case resolved without a trial. But if you do wish to have your day in court, John Murray is a formidable trial attorney who is very familiar with all the L.A. courthouses and has earned the respect of their judges.

A graduate of the Ventura College of Law and California State University, Northridge, Long Beach criminal defense lawyer John Murray defends clients throughout Los Angeles County in DUI and all other criminal matters.

Long Beach DMV Hearings in connection with a California DUI arrest

California DUI arrests come with two headaches: The first is the regular criminal case, discussed below, and the second is the Department of Motor Vehicles case. The moment you're arrested on suspicion of DUI, prepare to hand over your drivers license to the cop and receive a temporary pink one in return (good for a month). The cop will also inform you how you have only ten days from the date of the arrest to contact the DMV and request a hearing, which is basically a trial, to contest your license suspension.

Our Long Beach DUI attorneys handle DMV hearings as well as criminal matters, and we can appear on your behalf so you don't have to miss work for it. For a first DUI, the DMV may suspend your license for a few months, and a second or third DUI may result in year-long suspensions or more. However, we can usually secure you a restricted drivers license which permits you to drive only to work and school.

Refer to our article on DMV hearings in connection with a California DUI arrest for more detailed info.

The Criminal Case resulting from a Long Beach DUI arrest

Most people arrested for DUI in Long Beach are charged with the misdemeanors Vehicle Code 23152(a), and Vehicle Code 23152(b). However, if it's your fourth DUI in ten years, or if the incident resulted in an injury or worse, it will be charged as a felony.

Long Beach DUI cases usually last several months before the case is finally dismissed or closed. It's annoying but also advantageous because it allows us ample time to craft as foolproof a defense as possible to present to the prosecutors during negotiations.

Long Beach DUI Penalties & Sentencing

Typical penalties for pleading to a California misdemeanor DUI (Vehicle Code 23152(a) and Vehicle Code 23152(b)) include the following:

• Fines which may exceed $1,000



• Three or more years of probation



• A four-to-six month drivers license suspension with the possibility of a "restricted license" for commuting to work and school



• Three to nine months of California DUI School (see below)



• Two days to six months of jail, which is almost always suspendable

A second or third DUI obviously has harsher penalties: Fatter fines, longer DUI School programs, mandatory jail time, etc. In addition, the judge may require that you install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle. (An ignition interlock device is a breathalyzer that prevents the engine from starting if the driver's BAC level is too high.)

Long Beach Jail & Courthouse Information

If you're arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, the police will likely book you at the Long Beach Jail:

Long Beach Jail
400 West Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 570-7260

The police then report the arrest either to the Long Beach City Prosecutor or, in the case of a felony, to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. If they decide to prosecute, your case will be heard in one of several departments in the Long Beach Courthouse. (If you plead to DUI, the courtroom clerk will give you information about local DUI Schools.)

Long Beach Courthouse
415 West Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 491-6226

Meanwhile, minors arrested for driving under the influence in Long Beach may be detained at the Eastlake Juvenile Hall and have their cases heard in Eastlake Juvenile Court:

Eastlake Juvenile Hall
1605 Eastlake Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 226-8611

Long Beach DUI Schools

If you plead to or are convicted of misdemeanor DUI in Long Beach, you will definitely be required to complete California DUI School as part of your sentence. Judges typically assign three-month programs for a first DUI, but a third-time offender may be ordered to complete thirty months.

Some Long Beach DUI Schools are:

High Gain Foundation
Programs: First Offender; Eighteen Month; Thirty Month
315-A East 11th Street
Long Beach, CA 90813
(562) 436-9801

Safety Consultants Services, Inc.
Programs: First Offender; Eighteen Month; Thirty Month
5518 North Long Beach Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90805
(562) 428-6426

W & G Enterprises, Inc.
Programs: First Offender
1355 Redondo Ave. Suite 3
Long Beach, CA 90804
(562) 986-5046

Arrested for DUI in Los Angeles County?

It's our purpose to do all we can to help keep you out of jail and let you keep your license. To set up a FREE meeting with a Long Beach criminal defense lawyer, phone (562) 633-8155 now. We help people who get arrested throughout the South Bay area, including Rancho Palos Verdes, Lakewood, Signal Hill and San Pedro.

Join us to discuss your DUI case at any of our
local offices: You can also contact us 24/7 at
888.327.4652 for a free consultation