Darryl Wayne Genis

If you’re reading this you probably made a bonehead decision to drive drunk just like I did. The circumstances of mine (1st offense) are that I had an elevated BAC and a small wreck (no one else involved). So the next morning after getting out of jail I was scared and didn't know what to do. I c...alled around and decided to go with Darryl because of his reviews and based on my conversation with him and his staff. Every step of the way, I was informed and definitely felt like they were there for me and my million questions via phone and email. If you've ever dealt with other lawyers in the past, you'll know how great it is to get one that actually returns your calls. Like I said, the circumstances around my DUI were a little more severe so I wasn’t looking for any miracles and what Darryl got me was very, very good. Compared to other people I’ve met with 1st DUI’s, I consider my outcome to be very good. I’m not going to go into details only because there is a wide amount of discrepancies between what people get as penalty and the severity of their DUI. But I can honestly say, on service and responsiveness alone, Darryl’s team were great. My outcome was better than I expected so I’d have to say that I’m also pleasantly surprised there as well.

I received a DUI (Count I) and a .08 (Count II) charge on July 17th, 2010. Let me first describe to you my situation. I arrived in Santa Barbara around 10:30pm to hang out with some old college friends. We meet at O'malley's bar and throughout the night I only had 3 drinks. 2 light beers and half a j...ack and coke. Unfortunately, I had nothing to eat that night and I wasn't getting the best sleep. I left to go sleep at my friend’s house around 1:30am and I was pulled over for not having a front license plate around 1:40am. I felt completely fine to drive, passed the sobriety tests, had a complete conversation with the officer and he still decided to breathalyze me. I blew a .112 and then decided to take the blood test and went back to the station which took about 45 minutes to an hour. My blood results came back as a .1 and I spent the night in jail. I immediately started looking for a lawyer to try my case and I interviewed with about 3 different attorneys. One was a woman of which I don't remember her name, one was William Makler (which is a very respected and competent lawyer which I believed as well) and the last was Mr. Darryl Genis. After meeting with Mr. Makler, I was ready to sign on the dotted line with him because I heard rumors that Mr. Genis over-promises his clients what he can get for them. Regardless, I still felt I needed to give him a chance since his reviews are so high and because of all of his credentials. Let me point out that the reason Mr. Genis might have these rumors is because of his high energy personality and ability to sell ice to an eskimo. After meeting with him, I understood why so many other clients put faith in him although he might be more expensive. I won't lie, his services can be a bit steep, but I decided that I would rather pay a premium for someone that was willing to put his heart and soul into my case instead of pay less for an attorney that has been beaten down by the system and won't put up a fight for what his client believes in. For the record I found that the same personality that might have started the rumors of "over-promising" results gave me the confidence to believe that I made the right choice in picking Mr. Genis as my lawyer. He never over-promised what the results would be, gave me the facts of the case, and left the decision to take every deal presented up to me. He always made me feel comfortable that if I decided to take this case to trial, he would be willing to go in a heartbeat, although he had already negotiated a fair deal with the district attorney. Please keep in mind; I paid for trial up front, so Mr. Genis was able to use this fact when negotiating with the District Attorney. Our law system is not perfect and in many aspects is a game of chess, so if you plan your future moves accordingly, you provide yourself with a better outcome. At first, the District Attorney was not offering me anything, not even a "wet and reckless." Mr. Genis then wrote the DA and provided the facts of my case and how this trial would not be an easy win for the DA. The DA then wrote back and offered me a "Wet and Reckless" only if I pleaded guilty to the .08 charge. Remember that a "wet and reckless" is nothing different then being charged with DUI, except the fact that your monetary charge is lower and you might not have to take as many classes. Your insurance is still affected and the DMV still sees this charge as a DUI. In the long run, it doesn't change anything under these conditions. So, Mr. Genis called me and provided me the positives of our case and negatives if I was turn down this deal. I went into this case knowing that I was not going to just accept a "wet and reckless." I already paid for trial, so I would rather go down fighting instead of not fighting at all. I told Mr. Genis that I would not accept the deal and he mentioned to me he would be surprised if the DA came back with a better deal. Regardless, Mr. Genis wrote to the DA that I would not accept the deal and started bargaining with him. Surprisingly, the DA came back with a deal that I took 3 days to think a

I got a DUI about six months ago while visiting a friend in Santa Barbara. Naturally I was really worried about the impact this would have on my future and my prospects for work after college. After a lot of research and consultations with many lawyers in the area I decided to hire Darryl Genis becau...se he really seemed to know what he was talking about. I explained to Mr. Genis exactly what had happened and he then informed me that my case was definitely worth fighting. My father then met with Mr. Genis and he decided my future would be worth the price for his defense. After four months or so I got my case dismissed and my license back with no criminal consequences except my speeding violation (the reason I was stopped). His staff kept me well informed throughout the whole process and were always courteous whenever we spoke. I would without question recommend Mr. Genis to anyone who receives a DUI. He really is an excellent attorney.

I hired Darryl to fight a DUI I received in September of 2009. I was sold on his practice from the Avvo ratings, he referenced, in addition to the pitch I was given when we met in his office. I was told his associate that attends the DMV hearings had a 90% success rate and he offered hope that my c...ase could have better than a DUI outcome. Seven months later I received a DUI, as the final outcome of my case, and my license was suspended for 4 months. Here are the facts: I was living abroad during the entire duration of my case and Darryl made all court appearances on my behalf. While away, I called his office many times and not once was I able to speak with him. I was told by his staff that someone would call me back and I did not receive return phone calls for several weeks and after much follow up on my part. When asking about the status of my case, I was rarely provided any concrete details and was simply told, "Darryl's the best!" when speaking with his staff. One individual told me it was typically "a good thing" the longer the case drags out, but again, no details. When the blood sample was received, my BAC was 0.13 and my case was fairly cut and dry. At this point I believe I should have recevied a call from Darryl's office to let me know the likely outcome and simply settle the case so I could get on with life. The lack of communication on my case and the false encouragement of Darryl's staff left me with a bad opinion of his practice. He may have done great things for other clients, but I think it's important to know there are others that are completely unhappy with the service received. My advice to anyone looking to hire this laywer is to review the facts of your case and don't rush to sign the retainer. You may be better served to simply go through the process, without representation, and take the consequences.

In January my girlfriend and I went to Santa Barbara to a Music show and I did have few drinks. When the show ended I got into my car and not knowing the area made a mistake and went the wrong way on a one street. Of course I was stopped by an officer who asked me question and was about to let me go ...home but decided to involve a female officer. She asked me question and determine that I was under the influence of alcholic. She gave me chose and I chose to go to Jail and do a blood test. She put me in the vehicle and drove away. She stated “That Officer normally doesn’t give people a chose but she would let me go if I would blow into the machine”. I agreed thinking that she was just going to give me an illegal wrong turn. But, after the registration of the machine she gave me the DUI ticket, impounded my car and took away my license. By convince me and violated my Miranda Right my parents decided to hire Mr. Genis. His staff did an amazing job and getting all the forms and information from me. I never had to see Mr. Genis nor take to him direct. The few times I did call his office I was attended by David, Mr. McCoy and secretary and they always got the answer to my questions immediately. They kept me informed every time that Mr. Genis came back from court on my case and what had happen in the hearing. I had an outstanding outcome my DUI was dropped and received only a reckless driving citation. I highly recommended Mr. Genis any time and if I ever would need him again I know who to go to. I took 4 months to settle my case and I believe this was a short time frame. Thank you Mr. Genis and staff members.