DUI Defense Attorney Neil Shouse

A Law Enforcement Background

Prior to starting his own Los Angeles County DUI defense firm, Neil Shouse received the best background training there is: Working as a Los Angeles DUI prosecutor. “Nothing better prepares you for defending DUI cases than having prosecuted DUIs,” he says. “I’m so glad I started out on the other side. It shapes the way I look at everything now as a California DUI defense attorney.”

In his five year career with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, Neil prosecuted every type of DUI offense, from misdemeanor DUI to felony DUI to vehicular manslaughter to complex DUI homicide cases. Neil enjoyed a stellar success rate in trial, winning some 96% of his felony jury trials.

As a DUI prosecutor, Neil worked with CHP officers, LAPD detectives and Sheriff’s toxicologists in the investigation, analysis, preparation and prosecution of DUI cases. He got to participate in law enforcement’s construction of DUI cases, from traffic stop to jury trial.

Drawing on this insider knowledge of how police and prosecutors put together DUI cases, Neil knows how to spot the issues, problems and defenses that can unravel a DUI case. He knows how the other side thinks. He knows their tactics. He knows their strategies. He uses this knowledge to the advantage of his clients.

The Best Legal Education

Neil graduated college at UC Berkeley with Phi Beta Kappa and highest distinction in general scholarship (given to the top 4% of the graduating class). He went on to law school at Harvard Law School, where he graduated with honors and served on a prestigious legal journal. Neil’s 130-page law school thesis was published in the National Quarterly on State and Local Government Law.

Following law school, Neil became a litigation attorney at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, a global firm that represents many Fortune 500 companies. Unsatisfied with civil litigation, Neil left the large law firm environment to join the D.A.’s Office and pursue a career in criminal law. At the Los Angeles D.A.’s Office, he prosecuted more than 40 jury trials to verdict…everything from driving on a suspended license to high profile murder cases.

Organizations & Affiliations

Los Angeles DUI defense attorney Neil Shouse is a member of many legal organizations, including:

*The National College for DUI Defense
*The California DUI Lawyers Association
*The California Public Defenders Association
*California Attorneys for Criminal Justice
*The Los Angeles County Bar Association
*The Beverly Hills Bar Association
*The San Bernardino County Bar Association
*The Western San Bernardino County Bar Association

Neil attends DUI defense seminars and programs throughout the year and across the United States. He has completed multiple sessions of the summer training program by the National College of DUI Defense. He also completed the Borkenstein Course, an exclusive week-long course on the scientific issues in DUI cases, taught by several of the world’s leading toxicologists.

Neil also has specialized training in the operation and maintenance of the DUI breath alcohol testing instruments; and is qualified by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to administer Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.