At the beginning of 2022, the law regarding DUI diversion changed. DUIs are no longer eligible for diversion in California. Please contact our office with any questions. Email us at abortellaw@gmail.com OR Call us at: (415) 523-7878

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Law Firm of Aaron Bortel

How Do People React To Being Arrested And Prosecuted For A DUI?


Everyone is different, so some people take it in their stride, especially people who had been going out, partying and getting home and had done it hundreds of times, but then finally got caught, because in that case they actually had it coming. A number of people I represent fall into this category.

For other people, getting caught for a DUI would be just that one time. They are shocked and sometimes they get very upset. Someone might have asked them to pick them up when they were not intending to drive or they were in a situation where they had to drive someone else’s car home because that person was too drunk or in trouble. A lot of people end up in situations where they did not intend to drive.

A lot of people believe they should not be convicted of a DUI, and they feel they would be able to get the attorney to explain the DA why they should not be convicted. A number of people believe that because they had never been in trouble before, had a clean driving record or a clean criminal record, low blood alcohol level, or because they needed to support their family and pay their taxes, so they get upset by hearing that the odds are against them for actually getting completely off on the case.

Some people react by telling me that if they got a DUI, they could lose their job so they would not be able to pay their taxes, and they argue that they do not see what advantage it would be for the government if they were unable to pay their taxes. Unfortunately, this would be an extreme reaction and it would not be an argument that could go anywhere and I really would not be able to use that in court.

Some people get emotionally distraught and their reactions can get very extreme. I have had clients in the past who, especially when it involved multiple DUI, felony DUI or when someone had been injured or that kind of thing, then in the most extreme situations people have tried to do drastic things or have done drastic things which can be as awful as it gets. I have had clients who have actually taken their lives because they were so distraught over what happened or what would potentially happen.

Most people do not deal with this type of situation but it is something that does comes up with DUI defense, and it is something that does need to be discussed, especially with younger attorneys who are looking to practice DUI defense or criminal defense. Our clients are people and a lot of them are people who have issues for which they would need help. They might have been in trouble a lot or they might even be in situations that were so extreme that they needed professional help.

How Do You Help Clients Who Are Very Stressed About The DUI Case?

I do a lot of counseling with my clients, but I am not a licensed therapist and neither am I a licensed doctor. I am an attorney and counselor at law so I counsel people regarding the law. Part of what I do is that when I see people who are in extreme need, I do everything I can to help them get the help they need which might be getting them to start going to AA meetings, it might be getting them to see their doctor or very often it might be getting them to see a therapist or someone who specialized in substance abuse.

Some of my clients have mental health issues and many of my clients are on different types of medications, anti-depressants, medication for ADHD, and all sorts of different issues or problems for which they would need help. I always try to point my clients in the right direction to get the help they need, firstly for their own health, safety and well being and then sometimes by getting that help and getting it documented so that I would be able to use that when I was trying to get a case dismissed or so I could negotiate a case to get the charges reduced or the penalty reduced.

It might help if the person could say they were in a residential treatment program or they were doing a lot of self help meetings, seeing a doctor regularly, getting their medications changed and they were able to get letters from doctors showing they were not on the proper medication and that it just needed to be adjusted. It could also help with the DMV when trying to get the person’s license reinstated or saving their license when someone had issues with their medication or for different things.

For more information on Dealing With The DUI Case, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you’re seeking by calling (415) 523-7878 today.

Aaron Bortel

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