Sonoma County DUI Lawyer

Driving under the influence (DUI) is a serious criminal offense which has driver's license suspension consequences. Every Sonoma County DUI arrest initiates two separate cases. The first case is a Sonoma County criminal case, while the second case is a California DMV license suspension action.

Robert Tayac is recognized as being among the top driving under the influence defense attorneys in California. His law office is a highly specialized DUI law firm representing clients accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, medication or drugs in Sonoma County.

A person arrested for driving under the influence or driving with a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit will be required to appear or have an attorney appear at the Sonoma County Superior Court located in Santa Rosa. In addition, a person arrested for driving with a blood alcohol levelof 0.08% or greater will have a separate California DMV license suspension action initiated by the California DMV stemming from a driving with a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit. This second case will be before the Department of Motor Vehicles’ Driver Safety Office in San Francisco or a Sonoma County DMV satellite office. The DUI criminal case and the Department of Motor Vehicles case are separate from one another.

Robert Tayac specializes in Sonoma County DUI defense and is a present or former member of professional organizations whose focus is related to this practice area, including the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD), California DUI Lawyers Association (CDLA), National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ), and California Public Defenders Association (CPDA). Additionally, each attorney working with Robert Tayac's law firm is familiar with the specific procedures of the Sonoma County Superior Court. Robert Tayac's office accepts no other type of case other than a California DUI or DMV cases and does not represent clients in any court or tribunal outside of the State of California.

A DUI arrest in Sonoma County will ordinarily initiate two separate cases.

The first case is the DUI criminal case which will be prosecuted by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office. The County District Attorney will usually charge a person arrested for a DUI with at least two separate criminal violations following the arrest made by a California Highway Patrol officer, deputy sheriff, or local police officer. The first DUI charge is for driving under the influence of alcohol, medication or drugs in violation of California Vehicle Code section 23152, subdivision (a). The second DUI charge is for driving with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .08 percent or greater in violation of Vehicle Code Section 23152, subdivision (b). If the arrest involved an accident resulting in an injury to another person, a more serious felony DUI will be charged by the Sonoma County District Attorney in violation of California Vehicle Code section 23153, subdivision (a)(b).

The second DUI case is a DMV Administrative Per Se (APS) driver's license suspension case, in which the privilege to drive of the person arrested is at risk of being suspended. Drivers arrested for driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or higher in California have only 10 days from the date of arrest to request an Administrative Per Se (APS) hearing.

If You Miss the 10-Day Deadline

If a hearing is not requested within ten (10) days of the DUI arrest, any California driver’s license will automatically be suspended thirty (30) days from the date of the arrest for a minimum of four (4) months. If the person arrested has an out of state driver license, the privilege of that person to drive within the State of California will be suspended indefinitely thirty (30) days from the date of the arrest and will not be restored until a California DUI school has been completed. Additionally, a driving suspension imposed by the Department of Motor Vehicles will usually trigger a license suspension action with the state agency which issued the out of state driver’s license.

California DMV hearings are complex, and should only be handled by a lawyer with experience handling DUI and DMV cases. In order to suspend a driver’s license, the California Department of Motor Vehicles need only prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the police had reasonable cause to believe a violation of California Vehicle Code Section 23152 or Section 23153 was committed, that the arrest was lawful, and that the driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or greater. Administrative Per Se hearings can be won, but usually only by an attorney with specialized knowledge of the DMV hearing process, the type of evidence presented and familiarity with the possible defenses.

The consequences are severe in a DUI case. A motorist accused of driving under the influence faces the possibility of jail, probation, large fines, driver’s license suspensions, mandatory alcohol education classes, ignition interlock devices, and other punishment. For that reason, it is imperative that you hire a qualified Sonoma County DUI lawyer handle your case the day you are released by the police.

If you or someone you know has been or may be accused of driving under the influence, or driving with a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit in Sonoma County, please read the information contained in this website and call the office to discuss your case with me.

Phone: 707-576-9900
Fax: 415-552-6099
Toll Free: 800-901-1888

Sonoma County General Information

Sonoma County is on the northwest coast of California, one of the northernmost parts of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa. Sonoma County is the home of Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College.

The county lies in the North Coast Ranges of northwestern California. Its ranges include the Mayacamas and the Sonoma Mountains, the southern peak of the latter being the prominent landform, Sears Point.

Sonoma County includes Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Cloverdale, Sebastopol and Cotati. The county seat of Sonoma County is Santa Rosa. Additionally, Sonoma County includes the unincorporated communities of Asti, Bodega, Bodega Bay, Boyes Hot Springs, El Verano, Geyserville, Glen Ellen, Jenner, Sea Ranch, and Soda Springs, to name a few.