Attorney Peter M. Liss

Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled Miranda warnings are unnecessary in the investigation stage of a DUI, meaning any questions you answer for the police before they place you under arrest can be used against you. Miranda warnings are only required for questions asked after an arrest.

There are three basic levels of criminal offenses in California. An infraction is the lowest-level of crime and will involve nothing more than a ticket. Most driving offenses are infractions. I do not offer services to help people who have been ticketed. A misdemeanor is a middle-level offense, which is punishable by a fine of no more than $1,000 and up to one year in jail. Felonies are the highest level of crimes and can result in prison sentences all the way up to life. Depending on the charges, in many cases, a good Vista defense attorney can have a felony reduced to a misdemeanor or a misdemeanor reduced to an infraction.

I help clients facing all nature of criminal charges in Vista, California, including Driving Under the Influence, domestic violence, assault, battery, fraud, sex crimes, murder, white collar crimes, weapons charges and more. I can represent you in bail hearings, probation violation hearings, DMV DUI hearings and restraining order hearings. I also defend juveniles facing charges in the San Diego juvenile court system. I do NOT offer services related to traffic tickets, appeals, immigration or federal criminal charges.

Absolutely. People fight and win against drunk driving charges all the time. Even if you can't fully prove your innocence, it is important to have a Vista DUI lawyer in your court to help you protect your rights and minimize the penalties you may face, which could even include jail time.

In fact, I do offer interest-free payment plans. I have very reasonable rates and accept all major credit cards. If you're still on the fence, you can always schedule a free initial consultation where we can discuss the specifics of your case. Hopefully I can prove to you that more often than not, you can't afford NOT to work with an experienced criminal lawyer in Vista.

For most misdemeanor charges, a Vista criminal attorney like myself can attend court on your behalf so you never have to go in person and risk missing work. This can be particularly beneficial if you live out of the county or even out of the state and do not want to have to drive to Vista in order to fight the charges against you. The exception is in misdemeanor cases of domestic violence, where you are legally required to appear in court. You must go to court if you have been charged with a felony of any type.

I don't want my clients to have to drive all around town to find me and to go to their court dates. That's why my office is located right across the street from the Vista courthouse and jail.

Yes, my secretaries and I answer every call during the day and I use a live answering service for after-hours business calls.

After working as an attorney for over 35 years, I know that people can be arrested and interrogated by the police at any time, day or night and they may need legal representation immediately. I may not be at my desk or in court 24/7, but I have an answering service take my calls whenever the office is closed so I can be available to my clients when they need me.

Thank you for the excellent question. A defendant in a criminal case does have the fundamental constitutional right to counsel. A defendant can give up the right to counsel with what is called a Faretta Waiver. However, it has to be knowing and understanding the dangers and disadvantages of self representation. The recent case of People v Ruffin (2017) reversed the conviction of a defendant who represented himself. The Court of Appeal ruled the defendant did not understand the full consequences of representing himself.