Bay Area Criminal Defense Blog

If you are arrested in Oakland over the holidays, contact an experienced California criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible.

Thanksgiving is a peak time for DUIs in Oakland and Alameda County, from East Bay DUI defense lawyer Lynn Gorelick.

Halloween activity is expected to return to more regular levels in the East Bay. This will mean more kids and teenagers out and about after dark on the streets and sidewalks of our neighborhoods. For drivers, there may also be a higher risk of injury accidents. If the driver has had too many, the...

Batterer's intervention classes may reduce re-abuse rates but many defendants don't end up completing the courses in California. Find out more about domestic violence legal defense in Oakland from Gorelick Law Office.

Alcohol detection technology may eventually be required for new cars in California. Find out more about your rights after a DUI arrest in Oakland at Gorelick Law Office.

If you have jury duty in California, you can be found in contempt of court if you don't show up. You may also end up with a bench warrant. Find more at Gorelick Law.

When people think about getting arrested for a crime, they may focus on the possibility of jail time. However, there are many consequences to an arrest and criminal conviction, including time away from work, probation, and expensive fines. A domestic violence arrest can be devastating and can eve...

Students at UC Berkeley and Cal State East Bay in Hayward can face serious consequences for a drunk driving conviction. Find out about your legal rights at Gorelick Law Offices.

Driving under the influence of prescription drugs can lead to a DUI in California. Find out about your legal rights at Gorelick Law Offices.

There are not as many military bases in the East Bay as in other parts of California but there are still plenty of U.S. military service members passing through the area at any given time. Lots of service members are from East Bay communities and visit family and friends when they are on leave. W...

Many people are treating life as back to normal after a couple of tough years dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This summer, people in the East Bay are looking forward to enjoying summertime activities, like outdoor festivals, backyard barbecues, and road trips across the state. One of the firs...

Local residents who are familiar with the neighborhoods of Oakland usually know which streets may be best to avoid at certain times of the day. However, drunk driving arrests can happen anywhere this is a road. DUI traffic stops do happen more often at certain times of the day and on certain days...

A conviction for domestic violence in California can have more serious penalties than a conviction for battery against a stranger. Domestic violence involves violence between people in a close personal relationship. Additional penalties for a DV conviction in California may include restrictions o...

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, drunk driving accidents dried up when most people had no need to get in their cars except for necessities. The early COVID days also saw increased alcohol consumption in many communities. However, as the world begins to reopen, the combination of mor...

Serving time in jail can be very disruptive to your life. Even a short jail sentence may cause problems with your employment, education, and family life. With a jail sentence, you may be unable to earn an income, which can compound the problems and make it more difficult to get back to a normal l...

The penalties for a California DUI can be harsh. In addition to fines, loss of your license, and DUI school, there is a possibility of jail time. Minimum jail time increases for each additional drunk driving conviction. The good news is that you may be able to avoid jail time if your East Bay DUI...

Up until a few years ago, all states in the U.S., including California, had the same blood alcohol limit for drunk driving violations. Drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher were per se in violation of the law and could be arrested for a DUI. However, back in 2018, Ut...

The penalties for a DUI increase with each additional drunk driving charge. After a first-time arrest for a DUI, most drivers can avoid the minimum 48-hour jail time with community service and probation. However, the mandatory jail time for a 2nd or 3rd DUI can mean jail time that could seriously...

When thinking about extradition, it brings to mind high-level drug lords like Pablo Escobar or Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Other famous extradition cases involve people who remain abroad, like Julian Assange for sexual assault charges in Sweden or Edward Snowden for espionage charges in the U.S. H...

Every year sees new laws going into effect as of January 1. This year, there were quite a few new laws that went into effect, including new criminal law changes and new traffic laws. Some cities and municipalities around the East Bay also had changes to their community regulations. Here are some ...

Another summer comes to a close in the East Bay. For many, Labor Day represents the end of the summer break, when kids go back to school, college is back in session, and the weather starts to turn cooler and cloudier. It also marks the end of the so-called 100 deadly days of summer, with increase...

It is a violation of California's vehicle laws to  drive under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Under current laws, it is not a defense to drunk driving charges just because the driver is using a vehicle's autopilot or self-driving feature. A driver in California was recently arrested and charged ...

The proposed $1 trillion infrastructure bill has a requirement for new vehicles to be equipped with a drunk-driving detection system. Impaired driving technology can monitor the driver and vehicle for drivers that may be impaired, tired, or distracted. However, some people are concerned about the...

In December 2018, Utah became the first state to lower the per se drunk driving limit to 0.05% from 0.08%. Like all other states, the per se threshold for blood alcohol content (BAC) in California is 0.08%. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended lowering the per se BAC li...