About us

San Diego drunk driving attorney

Troy Holan

Troy Holan is a licensed California Attorney, practicing criminal defense in the county of San Diego. Troy began his career as a Deputy Public Defender in San Diego, where he handled thousands of cases in only a few years, including well over 1,000 DUIs. While appearing at each of San Diego’s five courthouses numerous times, Troy has been consistently praised for his creative defense strategies, aggressive litigation & trial tactics, and strong attorney-client relationships. Troy has seen several DUI matters all the way through jury trials and has filed hundreds of motions to litigate the complex legal issues surrounding DUI cases. Now in private practice, Troy personally handles 100% of all legal aspects on every case. He has a strong belief that his clients should be viewed as collaborators and endeavors to personally involve them in all legal decisions.

Troy began his legal career at downtown San Diego’s California Western School of Law. While in law school, Troy participated in the California Innocence Project, a free legal clinic dedicated to proving the innocence of the wrongfully convicted. Knowing he would someday wanted to become a trial attorney, Troy earned the top grade in his Trial Practice program during his final year of school. The desire to provide top-notch criminal defense to those in the worst of situations still remains to this day. Troy is entitled to practice in Superior Courts throughout California and is also admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. A bay area native, Troy moved to San Diego in 2005 to pursue a Political Science degree at the University of California San Diego. Although available to his clients seven days a week, Troy enjoys the outdoors with his dogs Zeus and Bill in his spare time.


Our San Diego DUI attorneys combine experience, expertise, and knowledge to defend your legal rights in Ca.

We provide aggressive and personalized defense in alcohol and marijuana DUI cases throughout San Diego CA and always make our legal team available to clients. We pride ourselves on providing individualized representation and treating each case uniquely and with the importance that it deserves.

Our background in San Diego DUI cases gives us the advantage of knowing the system inside and out. It is this specific knowledge that contributes to our success rate.

Our San Diego DUI lawyers understand the stress that surrounds being arrested for a DUI in California.  It is our goal to protect your rights so your life can go back to normal. We offer a FREE CONSULTATION to go over your specific situation and your options. You can rest easy knowing you have an experienced DUI attorney working diligently in your favor. Visit our DUI homepage for a list of potential defenses that may be used to fight your case.

You NEED an expert on your side. DUI is not a conviction to be taken lightly. This conviction can be a very expensive and time consuming process if you are convicted. You need a lawyer to ensure you are properly represented when you face the judge in court. We focus on making the process smooth and streamlined to get you back to your normal life.

Contact one of our San Diego marijuana DUI attorneys- (619) 486-5020

Our Most Recent Articles:

How To Face a San Diego DUI With An Attorney

If you have been arrested for a San Diego DUI, we know how you feel. It can be a very stressful and emotional experience to be faced with. It is normal for you to be completely confused as to what to do. Most likely you have never before had to face trouble of this significance. Many thoughts are probably running through your brain, like, Am I going to lose my license? How much money is this going to cost?, and Will I have to serve time in jail? These are typical, yet important questions to ask, and to have your questions properly answered, consult one of our San Diego DUI lawyers.

San Diego DUI Lawyers

What you choose to do at this all-important time can greatly affect your future. Many wonder if it best if they go it alone, or hire an attorney to help them. When you take the time to consult with a DUI lawyer about court information, you can find out everything you need to know about the whole DUI process. The prosecutors and police don’t care whether you are confused or not, they just want you to plead guilty so they can move on to other cases.

If you are being charged with a San Diego DUI, consulting an attorney is a much better idea than not hiring one. Just because you are arrested for Driving Under the Influence, does not necessarily mean that you will in fact lose your license, or be convicted in a court of law.

Your first court date is known as an arraignment, and this is the point where the complaint against you is read so you understand the charges you are facing. You have to enter a plea; “not guilty” is usually the plea that is entered. If you are without a lawyer, the judge will likely appoint you a public defender who will look over your case. If so, and you qualify, you will be appointed a public defender who will look over your case. But Public Defenders are bogged down, and often will not give your case the thorough evaluation that it deserves. It is important to keep in mind that if you do not have a lawyer, and fail to schedule an administrative hearing with the DMV within ten days of your arrest, you will have your drivers license suspended.

This is precisely where having a successful drunk driving expungement attorney can make all the difference in your case. They have the time and resources to thoroughly evaluate your case, and are skilled at achieving the best possible outcome for you.

Since there can be a great amount at stake for you when facing a DUI conviction, you need a lawyer that will do everything they can to get you the best possible outcome for your individual situation. People who have been convicted of DUI can face a huge increase in their motorist insurance, and more. If you choose not to fight your DUI conviction, it can haunt you and cost you money for many years, taking into consideration the increase in insurance premiums, all of the court costs, impound fees, education classes, DMV fees, and restitution (if applicable).

Without an experienced San Diego DUI attorney, further problems that can result from a DUI conviction include: problems gaining viable employment, college discipline, problems obtaining or keeping professional licenses and problems with child custody cases.

Although not everyone will have to face these dire problems, some will, and having the right San Diego DUI attorney on your side is a much better alternative to doing everything yourself.

If you would like some more information visit our California DUI Blog.

Penalties to Expect When Facing a California DUI and How to Choose the Right DUI attorney in CA

Got arrested for a San Diego DUI?  California begins a lengthy road of turmoil, financial loss and, in some cases, loss of reputation and jeopardy of employment. Therefore, if you drink and drive, you should be quick to contact a San Diego DUI Attorney. It only requires a few drinks to raise your BAC above the legal limit. If you are caught driving over the limit, you will be arrested and will need to quickly hire an experienced San Diego DUI attorney to maximize your chances for avoiding a conviction.

You don’t have to be completely drunk to get arrested for a DUI in San Diego. You don’t even have to be swerving across lanes. You could be pulled over for an expired registration sticker, an outdated license plate, or even a broken taillight. If the officer thinks you’ve been drinking, whether he smells alcohol on your breath, hears your slurred words, or sees that your eyes are red, he will probably ask you to perform field sobriety tests, which you are not obligated to do.

When you’re arrested, you’ll have your rights read to you. Pay special attention to the right to remain silent. It is important to exercise this right, and then to take action on the next right, you’re right to an attorney. Regardless of whether or not you know any attorneys, you will need to find one.

DUI Penalties

You want to choose the best attorney, and you don’t even want to think about representing yourself, as the penalties for driving under the influence are both harsh and expensive. This is for good reason. Drivers driving under the influence are moving death machines. Many people have been killed by drunk drivers, so officers and our court systems don’t take kindly to people who choose to drink and drive.

After you get arrested for drunk driving, you will spend the night in jail. If you face the judge in court he/she will ask you how you plead: guilty, not guilty or sometimes no contest. Many people make the mistake of pleading guilty because they feel like they don’t have a chance at winning. The truth is, for an experienced San Diego DUI attorney, it may be possible to have your charges greatly reduced, depending of course on the facts of your case.

If you plead guilty, or are convicted of DUI at trial, you will have to pay fines and court costs in the thousands of dollars. Most times you’ll be forced to complete an alcohol awareness course, a Mothers Against Drunk Driving panel, and sometimes community service. You could also face jail, loss of work, and/or loss of your job completely. With all of these penalties facing you, you owe it to yourself to hire the very best DUI attorney you can find.

How to Find the Best Attorney

There are several ways to begin your search for the best DUI attorney in San Diego. Don’t simply believe the ads on TV or the ones you see in the yellow pages. Ads can be placed by any attorney with money and they all claim to be the best DUI attorney out there. You want to focus on referrals if possible. You can also check with the office of the city attorney.

Do you know anyone or are you related to anyone arrested for DUI in San Diego CA and received a reduced charge or had their case dismissed completely with the help of a San Diego DUI attorneys? That’s the attorney you should be looking for. If you aren’t familiar with anyone who is aware of a good San Diego DUI attorney, the next best step is to jump online and start searching. These days, online searching is one of the most efficient ways to find a San Diego DUI lawyers. It may save you from lost time, money and reputation that a DUI conviction can bring.