2025
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LicensingUser ReviewsMystery Shopping CallsOur goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored Carlsbad DUI lawyers on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.
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= Featured ProviderSean F. Leslie, Attorney at Law is a criminal defense law firm working with the community of Carlsbad. The firm works with those accused of drunk driving in order to clear their names and protect them from fines and increased insurance payments, jail time, license suspension and revocation, and installation of an ignition interlock device. It also takes criminal cases involving drug possession and sale, burglary, and white collar crimes.
North County DUI Center is a boutique DUI defense firm representing clients in Carlsbad and the nearby areas. Attorney Sean F. Leslie handles various DUI charges, including first-time and multiple DUI allegations, and represents individuals during DMV license suspension hearings. He also assists clients charged with underage drunken driving as well as individuals facing felony DUI charges and those with suspended licenses. Mr. Leslie is a member of the California State Bar.
Elisabeth A. Bowman is a criminal defense lawyer who serves clients in Carlsbad and the surrounding localities. Bowman litigates DUI lawsuits, representing individuals who have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or prohibited substances. She defends clients in arraignments and preliminary hearings against heavy penalties, including jail time, large fines, and suspension of driver's license. She also litigates cases involving drug crimes, white collar crimes, assault, burglary, fraud, and false imprisonment. Bowman has been practicing criminal law since 1990.
Military Law Center provides counsel and representation in Carlsbad and nearby locations. It takes on various aspects of criminal law, helping defendants create strategies to resolve DUI charges. The legal practice protects the rights of military members facing mandatory penalties due to negligent driving. It also handles cases related to domestic violence, military fraternization, assault, AWOL or unauthorized absence, and child pornography offenses. Founder Gary Barthel is the former president of the Veterans Bar Association.
Law Office of Mark Greany represents individuals charged with a crime in Carlsbad. The firm handles a broad range of criminal cases, from DUI and petty theft to white-collar crimes and attempted murder. Attorney Mark Greany takes on both misdemeanor and felony DUIs, including underage DUI and DUI with injuries. The firm seeks favorable results through negotiation or trial. Greany has been in legal practice since 1995. He is also admitted to practice law in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.
The Law Office of Rafael Acosta helps navigate the legal system for individuals facing DUI charges in the Carlsbad metro. Its attorney and legal staff also deal with other criminal cases involving child molestation, sexual assault, homicide, money laundering, fraud, and identity theft. In addition, they represent in estate disputes and contested succession. The firm's attorney, Rafael Acosta, is a former prosecutor for the San Diego District Attorney's Office. He has been a civil and criminal litigator for the past 20 years.
Law Offices of C. Bradley Patton has offered legal services to individuals in Carlsbad and nearby areas for over three decades years. Attorney C. Bradley Patton can help protect the client's driving privileges in DMV hearings as well as misdemeanor and felony DUI cases. Law Offices of C. Bradley Patton also handles cases relating to drug crimes. Mr. Patton is a recipient of the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the Criminal Defense Bar Association of San Diego.
Bailey Criminal Defense, Inc., is a local law firm serving clients in Carlsbad and surrounding areas. Joel Bailey, the principal lawyer, brings more than 25 years of experience in litigation to help clients receive a favorable response for their cases. He devotes his practice to criminal law, including DUI/DWI charges. He investigates the cases, including the presence of probable cause and handling of chemical samples. Bailey also handles cases on ignition interlock devices (IIDs), DUI chemical test refusal, and mental health diversion.
(2)Vista Criminal Attorney Law Firm serves individuals in and around Carlsbad. Its trial lawyers, who have over seven decades of collective experience, defend clients facing DUI charges. They handle DUI cases involving illegal drugs and prescribed medication. They build defense strategies in pursuit of reducing penalties such as mandatory probation and felony imprisonments, utilizing their familiarity with local courts in the process. The legal professionals also personally know the prosecutors, judges, and police officers in the area.
Disclaimer: Consumers utilizing Expertise.com are free to communicate and contract with any lawyer they choose. Expertise.com is not involved in the confidential attorney-client relationship. Featured lawyers pay a reasonable advertising cost to market their legal services with Expertise.com and must meet similar selection criteria as other lawyers. All cases are different. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
The local police station at Carlsbad provided 760-931-2197 as their non-emergency contact number.
You can request a copy of a police report by calling the police's records department at 442-339-2119. The police station is located at 2560 Orion Way Carlsbad, CA 92010.
The fine for a DUI offense in Carlsbad can range from $390 to $1,000, while for a felony offense, it can go up to $5,000. Moreover, the court can impose additional payments on the negligent driver. Overall, a DUI may take a total cost of up to $18,000, depending on the severity of the case.
A victim recovers compensation in a Carlsbad DUI accident through restitution fines. DUI offenders pay the state for the crime, and it then becomes an allocated compensation fund. Victims can also sue the defendant by filing a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation directly from the defendant.
According to California Penal Code Section 802(a) PC, misdemeanor DUI offenses typically has a one-year statute of limitations which starts on the date of the incident in Carlsbad. However, committing felony-level DUI offenses increases the deadline by up to three years. Failure of the prosecution to file the case within the given period prevents the charges against the reckless driver from progressing any further.
Under California law, only four subsequent misdemeanor DUIs are allowed in Carlsbad. Other common types of DUI charges include wet reckless driving, out-of-state DUI, manslaughter, felony, and aggravated DUI. There are also cases of commercial drivers who drive while intoxicated, underage DUI drivers, and hit-and-runs. Each of the following violations is subject to severe penalties depending on the complexity of the case.
Some of the strategies an attorney can use include faulty field sobriety testing, rising BAC levels, illegal stops by officers, and objective signs of intoxication. Attorneys can also argue the case by presenting evidence of lack of probable cause, title 17 violation, Miranda violation, and residual alcohol in the mouth. After analyzing the conditions of the case, an attorney in Carlsbad can use these defense strategies to establish their claims against charges.
