DUI attorney los angeles

We live in a world that, through no fault of any one person, has created stiff and unfair challenges for DUI defendants in Los Angeles.

Why? Because we are all totally blitzed with marketing messages about DUI defense (and everything else under the sun). We have limited, attention and skills to tell truth from fiction.

For a dramatic illustration of just how many DUI-related marketing messages are out there — and how conflicting these messages are — do a Google search about the effectiveness of breathalyzer tests.

We won’t discuss their merit (or lack thereof) now — we’ve already spilled plenty of virtual ink on the subject. Just recognize that just trying to parse the truth about that debate alone can take you hours and hours and hours.

And if you’re someone who has been recently arrested, you may not have hours and hours and hours. In fact, you may not have much time at all before “bad things” start to happen in your life, such as a CA driver’s license suspension, your boss firing you, your girlfriend or boyfriend breaking up with you because of your Los Angeles DUI, and so forth.

As a result, many defendants make decisions based on hearsay, random materials they find online or elsewhere, or intuition borne not out of science but out of desperation.

It’s tricky because, when you take bad advice about your Los Angeles DUI, based on some random snippet of news or argument you read online, the consequences could be severe. You could face massive jail time, fines and the your loss of your driver’s license – all of which, in retrospect, might not be strictly necessary.

So how can you break out of this morass? The simplest and easiest method, always, is to find a very experienced, highly qualified person or company — one who has demonstrated results in situations similar to yours — and retain that person or company to help you.

The good news is that, in the case of Los Angeles DUI defense, attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers is available for consultation. Mr. Kraut has a great track record of success. Please connect with him and his team today to set up your effective, efficient defense. Continue reading

Breaking Los Angeles DUI news…

A jury has found ex-Dallas Cowboy lineman, Josh Brent, guilty of DUI manslaughter after deliberating for only two days.

Brent crashed his Mercedes in the early morning hours of December 8, 2012, killing his passenger, Jerry Brown, a fellow Cowboy, in an awful crash. The nose tackle — who played 12 games in the 2012 season for the Cowboys — faces up to 20 years behind bars. Stacy Jackson, Brown’s mother, says that she forgives Brent, and she plans to testify to help him get a lighter sentence.

The verdict came just a few weeks after another Texas DUI manslaughter case concluded. In that case, a defendant named Ethan Couch got let off with just probation, after he caused a crash that killed four people. Couch’s “affluenza” defense sparked an intense and vigorous debate in Texas, online, and elsewhere.

The Case Against Brent

Prosecutors showed jurors receipts from the night in question, showing that Brent had purchased three bottles of champagne. Brent was also seen in pictures holding champagne bottles in each hand, and jurors saw footage of Brent in the police vehicle’s dashboard cam stumbling during a field sobriety test. Prosecutors called Brent’s a “textbook” DUI manslaughter case, and they argued “[DUI drivers] shouldn’t be driving, no exceptions, no excuses!”

Jerry Jones, the owners of the Cowboys, talked to the media about the conviction: “certainly it’s tragic. We’ve all, to some degree, have been a part of this… we support Josh. This has been a terrible experience for the families who lost a loved one and for Josh who loved Jerry as well.”

Prosecutors said that Brent and his friends had gone to Privae, a private club in the Dallas area, and consumed alcohol before driving. Brent’s attorney countered that Brent had only been “guilty of being stupid behind the wheel of a car.”

Here’s a quick primer on Southern California DUI gross vehicular manslaughter cases.

Penal Code Section 191.5 (A) outlines what prosecutors must prove to win a gross vehicular manslaughter case.

First, the prosecution must show that a driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol — i.e. that his blood alcohol concentration was 0.08% or above.

Second, the prosecution must show that the driver committed a misdemeanor or infraction — or some other act that could have caused someone to die.

The prosecution must also show that this act was committed with “gross negligence” – a kind of negligence above and beyond a normal lack of attention or carelessness.

Finally, the prosecution must show that said conduct resulted in someone’s death.

Defending against DUI manslaughter charges can be complex, fraught work. If you or someone you love needs help with a serious Los Angeles DUI defense, connect with ex-prosecutor Michael Kraut and his legal team today for guidance.
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Guilty Verdict in Dallas Cowboy Josh Brent’s DUI Manslaughter Case