Many people charged with a DUI in California will be offered a plea deal by the prosecution. In short, if you accept a plea bargain you are agreeing to plead guilty and the prosecutor gets a conviction without having to take you trial. Generally you’ll be facing softer penalties than you would if you went to trial. So is a plea deal the right deal for you? It all depends. Here are three things you must consider before you decide. Then call Law Office of Michael L. Fell for your free case evaluation.

1. What they’re offering

In many California DUI cases, prosecutors will offer a plea deal that reduces your charge to either a wet or dry reckless charge. The consequences for a wet reckless charge is up to three months in jail and two years of probation. While this is significant, it’s much less than you could be dealing with if you’re convicted of a DUI: up to six months in jail and five years of probation.

If you’re charged with a DUI again within ten years then your wet reckless conviction will be considered a prior DUI charge. As a result, your second charge will be treated much more severely. Your insurance rates will go up whether you’re convicted of a DUI or a wet reckless. A dry reckless is a lesser crime that won’t necessarily affect your insurance rates or a second DUI charge in the future.

2. The evidence they have against you

Next you’ll consider the evidence against you. Even if it seems to be concrete, keep in mind that both blood and breath tests can be inaccurate. Field test sobriety tests can also be misleading. If you have a test result that showed your blood-alcohol content was 0.08% or less then you need to contact Law Office of Michael L. Fell. We may be able to put doubt into the accuracy of the test.

If your entire DUI charge came as a result of field sobriety tests, then we can carefully assess the case and look for ways we may be able to attach the prosecutors evidence. We’ll also investigate to see if the tests were legal under California law. If they weren’t, then the evidence may be thrown out and the charges could be dropped.

3. The cost of the DUI conviction

There are numerous and significant short-term and long-term costs associated with a DUI conviction. You’ll pay higher insurance for years to come, you’ll be facing fines and court fees, you’ll likely have to take on the cost of mandatory alcohol programs, and you may need to pay to have an ignition lock installed in your car. Some estimates put the total cost of a first-time DUI charge at up to $20,000.

If you plead guilty to a lower charge, you could end up saving a significant amount of money. It all depends on what you’re being offered. When you work with Law Office of Michael L. Fell, you can count on us to give you the best legal advice. If you decide to take a plea, we will fight to get the best possible plea for you. Call us today at (949) 585-9055 for your free legal consultation.