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San Francisco Criminal Lawyer Blog

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What Can I Do if the California DMV Has Accused Me of Cheating in the Completion of My Written Driving Exam?

Whether you’re a law school graduate taking the bar exam, an investment professional taking the Series 7, a high school student taking the SAT or ACT for your college applications or an individual taking the written exam required for your driver’s license, you know the stress and pressure of needing…

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How Road Rage Has the Potential to Negatively Impact Your California Driver’s License

We’ve probably all seen it while behind the wheel. Some may have even done it. “It” is road rage or aggressive driving. Whether it’s the tailgating, the screaming, the horn-blaring, the high-beam headlight flicking, the obscene gestures, the brake-checking, the swerving, the abrupt lane changes or other actions, road rage…

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The Difference Between a Lack-of-Skill Interview and a Lack-of-Skill Hearing and What These Processes Mean to Your California Driving Privileges

One of the most frightening non-criminal bureaucratic actions the state can impose against you is the suspension of your driver’s license. That suspension may affect not only your sense of personal freedom but your very livelihood. If you find yourself facing a possible loss of your California driver’s license based…

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A Police Officer May Offer an Opinion on Intoxication based on a Field Sobriety Test

A police officer with adequate training and experience in performing the horizontal gaze nystagmus test (HGN) may testify as to the significance of a defendant’s performance on an HGN test, according to a recent California Court of Appeal decision. Although HGN testing alone cannot determine whether a driver is under…

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What is a ‘Special Instruction Permit’ in California and How Can This Permit Option Potentially Help Me?

Everyone who has gone through the (often stressful) process of obtaining a driver’s license knows “the drill.” You have to pass a written test and you must also pass a “behind the wheel” exam to get your license. What’s more, you may have to take (and pass) one or both…

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What is a ‘Lack of Skill’ Driver’s License Suspension in California and What Can I Do to Avoid It?

You don’t have to be in a large urban center like San Francisco or Oakland to be somewhere where traffic violations are a concern. In fact, recently, the police department for the northern California city of Eureka announced that it had received a $60,000 grant from the state Office of…

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‘Implied Consent’ and How You Possibly Can Avoid a Suspension of Your California Driver’s License for Failing to Provide an Adequate Breath or Blood Sample

California has something called an “implied consent” law. This means if you are arrested for driving while intoxicated, it is implied that you have consented to a blood or breath test. Your refusal can trigger a suspension of your driver’s license. You may be able to avoid that license suspension,…

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Governor Brown Announces an Audit of the DMV Amid Skyrocketing Wait Times at the Agency’s Offices

On September 21 of this year, the Sacramento Bee reported that Governor Jerry Brown directed the DMV to undergo an audit. The governor’s directive placed the task of handling the audit, which will focus on extremely long wait times and outdated technology, with the Department of Finance instead of the…

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How Can I Remove Points from My California Driver’s License or Avoid Points Altogether?

If you get on the Internet and use any popular search engine, you’ll find many web pages devoted to attempting to answer the question, “How do I get points on my driver’s license removed?” In California, there are some options. If you have been charged with a traffic violation, you…

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Governor Brown Signs Bail Reform Bill, Meaning that California Will Abolish Cash Bail as of October 2019

In August 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 10, which enacted sweeping reforms to part of the state’s pre-trial criminal process, specifically bail. Under the new process, which will take effect in October 2019, cash bail is abolished. In its place will be a new system that…

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