DUI Defense Lawyer in Merced, California

A DUI arrest in Merced County starts two separate cases at once: a criminal case in Merced County Superior Court, and a DMV administrative case against your driver's license. The DMV side has a hard deadline — you generally have only 10 days from the arrest to demand a hearing, or the license suspension proceeds automatically. Our office handles both, together, from day one. Call (209) 600-4488 before the deadline and we will demand the hearing for you.

Michael McAfee prosecuted DUI cases for years before defending them. He knows how officers are trained to write reports, where field sobriety testing goes wrong, what the breath and blood testing records have to show, and which weaknesses make a prosecutor reconsider a charge. Every case gets a close look at the stop itself — if the officer lacked a lawful reason to pull you over, the evidence that followed can be suppressed.

Beyond fines, a first DUI in California typically means a license suspension, a mandatory DUI program, dramatically higher insurance for years, and a priorable conviction that makes any future offense far more serious. For commercial drivers and licensed professionals, the collateral consequences can be career-ending. The time to fight is now, not after a plea. Se habla español — llame al (209) 600-4488.