After a California DUI arrest, your license is typically confiscated and in its place, you receive a temporary license. The temporary license is a pink slip of paper. Having your license replaced by a thin sheet of paper can be a frustrating and confusing turn of events.

The pink slip details the fact that your drivers license will be automatically suspended 30 days after your California DUI arrest.  However, there is a path whereby you can keep your license pending a hearing, but you have to contact the DMV within ten calendar days of your arrest date. This is a hard deadline, and the DMV is unlikely to allow you to schedule the hearing if your request is late.

After we are retained, we typically fax and call the California DMV driver safety office closest to the jurisdiction of the arrest. It is important to understand that the DMV hearing is not a criminal proceeding. However, your attorney is still allowed to defend you on your behalf. Not only is the hearing useful in fighting to avoid a suspension, any information that comes out of it may also be helpful in your criminal case. If you win your California DMV hearing, you license suspension will be “stayed,” which is another way of saying that you get to keep your license with no suspension.

So how do skilled California DUI lawyers improve your chances with the DMV after a California DUI arrest? First of all, they know the DMV rules and procedures and understand what does and does not work in terms of arguments and persuasion with the DMV. In addition, the best California DUI lawyers know the DMV hearing officers and have already worked with them in a number of previous cases. As in all interactions, relationships matter.