Hire a Real Ventura County Criminal and DUI Defense Attorney

Will the Real Ventura Criminal and DUI Defense Attorney Please Step Forward

We’ve all heard it by now: Come on vacation, leave on probation. Ventura has been tough on crime for the 25 years I have been practicing here. But, knowing how to work within the system definitely helps resolve both criminal and DUI cases in Ventura. The first thing anyone should know when they have been arrested in Ventura County, is that they need to hire a lawyer who knows Ventura County. Many lawyers from Los Angeles (or further) will take money from a client on a Ventura case. They will come to court here and find out that they are only a short distance from Los Angeles, yet they are worlds away.

Jail time for a first offense DUI? Formal probation on a misdemeanor DUI? This is the what the district attorney wants on misdemeanor DUI’s in Ventura County. In Los Angeles it is common to see felony arrests which result in misdemeanor filings. In fact, about 75% of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s misdemeanor case load comes from felony arrests. By contrast, if the Ventura County District Attorney believes he can prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt, he files it. If he believes the charges rise to the level of felony conduct – i.e. that it’s possible to file it as a felony, he does. The district attorney in Ventura county has long taken “no plea bargaining” stance on many criminal cases, including DUI.

This is all the more reason why you need a lawyer who knows the county. I recently got a client a city jail commitment on a felony DUI causing death and felony vehicle manslaughter in Ventura. I admit that this was a very special case. I got a very special settlement that was previously unheard of in the county. This is the difference between hiring a lawyer who knows his way around the county and a lawyer who does not.

I recently got a client on a Ventura County felony sex offense credit for time he served in United States Immigration custody while his felony in Ventura was pending. Again, this is something previously unheard of in Ventura County. And again, this is the difference between hiring a veteran criminal defense lawyer who knows the court and hiring some jackass that has a pretty website and advertising that he has offices in 67 different cities.

If you are looking to hire a quality criminal defense lawyer, I have some free advice for you:

Meet with the lawyer before hiring him whenever possible. Don’t believe what’s on the internet.
Make sure the person you talk to and meet with is a lawyer, not a secretary, assistant, case manager, paralegal or any other person but a lawyer.
Make sure the person you talk to and meet with is the lawyer who will be going to court for you, not a sales rep. disguised as a lawyer.
Make sure your lawyer is familiar with criminal defense and DUI and has been practicing in that field for at least ten years.
Make sure your lawyer is familiar with the court, the county, the charges and all the players.
Don’t be afraid to ask them questions: Have you done cases like this before? Have you tried cases like this before? I don’t keep stats on my cases and I don’t think most honest lawyers keep stats on their cases, but I do know what cases I have tried and have not tried.
Don’t hire your lawyer from a Google search, hire your lawyer from a referral from someone you trust.
If a lawyer promises you the world, run.
If a lawyer tries to scare you to death, run.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, so run.

If you or someone close to you needs a lawyer for a Ventura County criminal case including DUI, call a lawyer who lives here, works here and knows how to get things done here.

Attorney Jeffrey Vallens (818) 783-5700 or (888) 764-4340 or email me at: vallenslaw@yahoo.com

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