My partner, Jeff Gold, was able to convince a prosecutor to give his client a reduction to an alcohol related reckless driving on a second offense this week. A reduction to a “wet reckless” is common for a first offense DUI with a low breath or blood alcohol reading, but is very difficult to get on a second DUI.
The reduction to a wet reckless was all the more impressive given the fact that the defendant also had a high breath alcohol reading of .17%. The disposition was achieved largely due to the fact that the client had made a great effort in attending AA meetings and had attended over one hundred by the time of the court date. Some prosecutors will not see this, in and of itself, as a good reason for a reduction, but the prosecutor in this case really went out of her way to treat our client differently due to the effort he had put into his sobriety.
At Gold & Witham, we treat our clients as partners and expect them to be actively involved in their case. Some DUI defense lawyers in Los Angeles expect their clients to sit at the back of the bus, do nothing, and not ask too many questions. We find that involving our clients in effort and keeping them informed as much as possible actually reduces anxiety and stress and leads to better results in court. Perhaps even more importantly, this approach also makes it less likely that our clients will be arrested for a DUI again, which, as far as a prosecutor or judge is concerned, is the whole point.