YES you do need a private atty in such a case as yours!
Hi JoJeff. Hello everyone! Sorry for getting in the game so late! Been busy dealing with floods and floods of people calling me about DUIs over the holidays.
In your case, you do definitely need a private attorney to handle your case JoJeff. I'm not just saying that because I am a DUI specialist attorney. Your case is exactly an instance where a private attorney can facilitate getting possible dismissal in your case!
As an example of why you need a private attorney: Last year in August 2011 I was able to get a dismissal in a case in Metro Court in Los Angeles in Division 60 for a client with the same fact pattern as yours! Last week, I just retained a client who blew a .08/.08 on the dot, and the City Attorney is leaning towards dismissing the case.
In contrast: There were a few defendants who were not represented by private attorneys, who plead to DUIs in cases where they probably should not have. Especially those with a BAC that were close to the borderline. At a minimum, they should have gotten a reduction, but the prosecutors did not offer it, so they plead to DUIs because they did not know any better. Not everyone qualifies for a Public Defender. If you don't qualify for one in LA County, most of the time they make you represent yourself, or make you pay a certain fee to the County Attorney Fund. So unless your income is really low, you will have to pay something to the Public Defender.
Due to terms of service, I must remain anonymous, but if you look up DUI attorney in Los Angeles, and even under Yelp! you can find attorneys who are fair and will not charge you an arm and leg to represent you. Some even do payment plans monthly so that you can pay it off slowly! You do need an attorney in your situation.
If you didn't need one, I would tell you! I'm one of the few who is honest about that. Good luck and hope you find an attorney you are happy with.
