What a DUI defense costs in California
California DUI defense is usually quoted as a flat fee that varies with whether the case is a first offense, whether the DMV hearing is included, and whether the quote covers motions and trial. The court-imposed costs, programs, and interlock requirements are separate from the attorney fee and often exceed it.
Private defense fees in California DUI cases are almost always flat rather than hourly, and the spread between quotes usually reflects scope rather than quality. A quote covering arraignment and a negotiated disposition is a different product from one covering the DMV hearing, suppression motions, and trial, and comparing the two numbers without comparing scope is the most common mistake.
The variables that move the fee are the count of prior offenses within the ten-year lookback, whether injury is alleged, whether the case is charged as a felony, and whether the reading is close enough to the threshold that instrument litigation is worthwhile.
Separate from the attorney, conviction carries court-imposed financial consequences, a mandated alcohol-education program whose length scales with the offense, and ignition interlock installation and monthly monitoring costs. These are frequently larger in total than the defense fee, and they are not negotiable in the way the fee is.
Ask specifically what happens if the case goes to trial, whether an expert on the instrument or on rising blood alcohol is inside the quote, and whether a DMV hearing that requires more than one session is included.
Public defender representation is available on a finding of indigence, and eligibility is determined by the court rather than by the office.