San Francisco DUI Attorney

If you're facing charges for driving under the influence in the SF Bay Area, our San Francisco DUI defense attorneys are here to help. First we'll try to dismiss your case or reduce it to something less serious. Failing that, we'll take matters all the way to trial. On this page, our SF Bay Area drunk driving lawyers will discuss the following topics about California DUI laws and what we can do for you:

San Francisco DUI lawyer Jim Hammer

The DMV Hearing

The Criminal Case

San Francisco Jail & Courthouse Information

San Francisco DUI Schools

Call our San Francisco DUI Defense Law Office at (415) 333-0300 for a free consultation with a SF drunk driving lawyer, and you can find our office at:

101 California Street, Ste. 2450.

San Francisco DUI lawyer Jim Hammer, Esq.

A former prosecutor himself, San Francisco criminal defense lawyer Jim Hammer knows all the "tricks of the trade" that the state uses to prove someone guilty, and this "insider knowledge" allows him to craft the most thorough and strategic defense possible for his clients. Jim Hammer is effective at negotiating with D.A.s to dismiss or reduce SF DUI charges. But he's also a seasoned courtroom attorney with more than ninety percent of his nearly fifty jury trials resolving in his favor. You've probably already heard about him when he served as the head of the San Francisco D.A.'s Homicide Unit and made front-page news as the victorious prosecutor in the Diane Whipple dog-mauling case.

San Francisco criminal defense attorney Jim Hammer graduated from UC Berkeley and Hastings Law School. He's taught Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at Santa Clara University Law School, which awarded him "Professor of the Year" in 2004. His expertise encompasses all areas of SF DUI law, from misdemeanor DUI and DUI causing injury to felony DUI and California gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated charges.

San Francisco DMV Hearing

Driving under the influence is one of the few California crimes that opens not only a criminal case but also a civil case . . . with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Once you're arrested for DUI in SF, the cop will make you give up your drivers license and replace it with a temporary one (good for thirty days). Meanwhile, you have only ten days from the date of your arrest to contact your DMV and request a hearing to contest the suspension of your license.

As we all know, the DMV is very difficult to deal with, and DMV hearings are like "mini-trials." So it's recommended that you hire a San Francisco DUI defense attorney as soon as possible to request the hearing and appear on your behalf. If it's your first DUI, the most the DMV can do is suspend your license for a few months, and we can usually get you a restricted license to allow you to continue commuting to work or school. Moreover, depending on the circumstances, it may be possible avoid the drivers license suspension altogether.

For more information, please read our article on DMV hearings in connection with a California DUI arrest.

The Criminal Case stemming from a San Francisco DUI arrest

San Francisco DUI arrests typically result in two charges being brought against you: 1) DUI under Vehicle Code 23152(a), and 2) Driving with Excessive Blood Alcohol Content under Vehicle Code 23152(b). However, if you've already been convicted of three DUIs in the past ten years, the next one will automatically be charged as a California felony DUI. SF driving under the influence cases tend to span many months and several court appearances, but we can usually appear on your behalf for most (if not all) of them.

San Francisco DUI Penalties & Sentencing

The standard penalties and sentencing for a first-offense San Francisco DUI are:

• fines of $390 to over $1,000, but community service may cover some of it



• at least three years of probation



• a six month drivers license suspension with the possibility of obtaining a "restricted license" for work purposes



• California DUI School (see below for more information)



• two days to six months of jail (which we can usually get suspended)

Penalties for successive SF DUIs are much harsher, including longer jail sentences and alcohol education programs, high fines, and required ignition interlock devices in your vehicle.

San Francisco Jail & Courthouse Information

The Bay Area has several jail facilities, but most people arrested for DUI in the city will get booked at the San Francisco County Jail located at 425 7th Street.¹ The phone number is (415) 575-4410.

The SF District Attorney's Office prosecutes DUI cases, and the San Francisco Superior Courthouse administers them. Your case will likely be handled in the Hall of Justice Building at 850 Bryant Street. The phone number is (415) 551-0651.

Initial arraignments are heard in one of four courtrooms, at which point the case may be transferred to other judges. Room 101 of the courthouse provides information about court programs, including DUI School, and can be reached at (415) 551-0651.

San Francisco DUI Schools

As previously mentioned, SF judges always order that defendants complete a drug and alcohol education program as part of a DUI plea or conviction. First-time offenders are usually sentenced to a three-to-nine month program while second- and third-time offenders may be ordered to do eighteen- or thirty-month programs. The judge may also consider your blood alcohol content when determining the length of your California DUI School program.

Four San Francisco DUI Schools are:

Driver Performance Institutes, Inc.
Programs: First Offender DUI School
350 Townsend Street, Ste. 205
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 905-5555

The Mission Council on Alcohol Abuse for the Spanish Speaking
Dry Zone M.O. DUI Program
Programs: Eighteen Month DUI School
820 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 826-6767

Institute of Advanced Driver Education and Training, Inc.
Programs: First Offender DUI School
2111 Mission Street, Ste. 205
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 255-0371

National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions - Bay Area, Inc.
Programs: First Offender DUI School
944 Market Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 296-0500

Arrested for DUI in San Francisco?

We won't rest until we've done everything we can to help keep you out of jail and let you hold on to your drivers license. For a FREE consultation with our San Francisco DUI defense lawyers, call us at (415) 333-0300 as soon as possible.

¹Please visit our page on the San Francisco County jail for more detailed information about the facility.

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