Introduction
After handling more than 5,000 DUI cases over the course of his career, Andrew M. Jennings has developed a familiarity with the Santa Maria court system that few defense attorneys in the region can match. His practice focuses exclusively on DUI defense, a deliberate choice that shapes every aspect of how his office operates, from the questions asked at intake to the technical challenges raised in court. Clients facing alcohol, marijuana, or prescription medication DUI charges come to this office knowing they will work with an attorney whose entire professional practice is built around exactly the charge they face.
The Law Office of Andrew M. Jennings is located at 704 S McClelland St, Santa Maria, CA 93454, and can be reached by phone at (805) 688-9217. More information is available at andrewmjenningslaw.com.
Exclusive focus is a meaningful distinction in criminal defense. An attorney who handles dozens of different case types spreads attention across a wide range of legal knowledge. Jennings does not do that. Every procedural update, every shift in how local judges interpret field sobriety test evidence, every change in breathalyzer calibration requirements, lands in his direct area of practice. That concentration matters when a client’s freedom and driving privileges are at stake.
Practice Areas
The Law Office of Andrew M. Jennings handles DUI defense cases in all forms that charge appears in California. This includes:
Alcohol DUI: The most common form of the charge, covering situations where a driver is alleged to have operated a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration at or above the legal limit, or while impaired regardless of BAC level. Jennings examines the traffic stop itself, the field sobriety tests administered, the accuracy and maintenance records of any breathalyzer used, and whether law enforcement followed required procedures throughout the encounter.
Marijuana DUI: California law prohibits driving while impaired by marijuana, but unlike alcohol, there is no per se BAC equivalent for THC that applies uniformly. These cases depend heavily on officer observations, chemical testing, and expert interpretation of impairment evidence. The absence of a clear numeric threshold creates both complexity and opportunity for defense.
Prescription Medication DUI: Lawfully prescribed medications can still form the basis of a DUI charge if a driver is alleged to be impaired by them. These cases require careful analysis of the medication, dosage, timing, and the reliability of the officer’s observations.
Beyond the courtroom proceedings, Jennings handles the DMV administrative side of DUI cases, which runs on an entirely separate timeline from the criminal court process. In California, a driver arrested for DUI has only 10 days to request a hearing with the DMV. Failure to request that hearing within the 10-day window results in an automatic license suspension. The DMV hearing and the criminal court case are distinct proceedings with different standards, and success in one does not guarantee an outcome in the other. Jennings addresses both.
The office also handles first-time DUI offenses, cases involving prior convictions, and high BAC situations, all of which carry different potential consequences under California law.
Attorney Profiles
Andrew M. Jennings has built his entire legal career around DUI defense in California’s Central Coast. With more than 5,000 cases handled, he brings to each new client a deep working knowledge of how DUI prosecutions proceed in Santa Maria courts, which arguments gain traction, which technical challenges are worth pursuing, and how local procedures affect case outcomes. His exclusive focus on DUI means he is not dividing his attention between family law, estate planning, or other areas of practice. He is a DUI defense attorney, and that specificity informs every element of his representation.
Location and Service Area
The office is located at 704 S McClelland St, Santa Maria, CA 93454. The firm serves clients throughout Santa Maria and the broader California Central Coast region. Santa Maria sits in Santa Barbara County, and clients facing charges in that court system benefit from Jennings’s familiarity with local procedures and personnel built over a career of practice in the area.
Client Focus
The office serves individuals who have been arrested for DUI and need immediate, focused legal representation. That includes people facing their first-ever DUI charge who may not know what steps to take in the critical hours and days following an arrest. It includes people who have prior DUI convictions and understand the elevated stakes they face. It includes clients whose BAC results were significantly above the legal limit, who may assume their case is unwinnable before speaking with an attorney who understands how to evaluate the evidence.
The exclusive DUI focus means clients are not treated as one case type among many. Every system the office has built, every area of knowledge the attorney has developed, applies directly to the situation the client brings through the door.
FAQ
What is the 10-day DMV hearing deadline and why does it matter?
In California, when a driver is arrested for DUI, the arresting officer typically confiscates the driver’s license and issues a temporary license valid for 30 days. However, the driver has only 10 calendar days from the date of arrest to contact the DMV and request an administrative hearing. If that request is not made within 10 days, the DMV automatically suspends the license without any hearing. This is a separate process from the criminal court case, and many people are unaware of it until it is too late. The Law Office of Andrew M. Jennings handles both the DMV hearing request and the criminal defense simultaneously.
Does this office handle marijuana DUI cases differently from alcohol DUI cases?
Yes, because the evidence is different. Alcohol cases often center on a breathalyzer or blood test result compared against a legal limit. Marijuana DUI cases lack that numeric threshold under California law. The prosecution must demonstrate actual impairment, which typically relies on officer observations and chemical test results showing THC presence. The defense in these cases focuses on the reliability of the officer’s observations, the significance of THC levels in blood tests, and whether the evidence actually demonstrates impaired driving rather than mere presence of THC from prior use.
Can a DUI charge be defended even if the breathalyzer showed a high result?
Yes. A breathalyzer result is one piece of evidence, not an automatic conviction. The attorney examines whether the device was properly calibrated and maintained, whether the operator was certified, whether the test was administered correctly, and whether any factors affected the reading. These include mouth alcohol from recent consumption, medical conditions, certain diets, and device malfunction. Field sobriety test results are also subject to challenge based on the conditions under which they were administered and the officer’s training.
Does this office handle multiple DUI offenses?
Yes. Cases involving prior DUI convictions are handled alongside first-time offenses. The specific prior conviction history matters, as California law provides escalating consequences for repeat offenses, and the defense strategy may differ depending on the case history.
How does the criminal court process differ from the DMV process?
The criminal court case involves the prosecutor’s office and proceeds through the criminal justice system, with potential consequences including fines, probation, mandatory programs, and jail time. The DMV administrative process is separate, run by the Department of Motor Vehicles, and concerns only the driving privilege. A driver can win the criminal case and still lose their license through the DMV process, or vice versa. Both proceedings require separate attention and separate legal arguments.
Closing
When the only practice area is DUI defense, the knowledge accumulated across 5,000 cases does not get diluted across other areas of law. Clients of the Law Office of Andrew M. Jennings work with an attorney whose focus, familiarity with the Santa Maria court system, and technical knowledge of DUI defense are applied entirely to their situation. For anyone facing a DUI charge on the Central Coast, the time to act, especially regarding the 10-day DMV deadline, begins the moment of arrest.
Contact: (805) 688-9217
704 S McClelland St, Santa Maria, CA 93454
andrewmjenningslaw.com