Reviews

When I had been his name by a trusted professional colleague of over 40 years, Aaron Bortel provided me prompt and very knowledgeable answers to all my questions. I needed to assist a client with a DMV driver record correction matter which would have caused considerable difficulties for many years if left uncorrected. Aaron Bortel knew exactly what to do. He clearly is a seasoned professional whose experience helps him navigate the difficult challenges of this area of law. He is also a good guy. He is now my number one go-to referral for when I have clients with DUI and related problems. Highest recommendation.

Don't bother shopping around; Aaron Bortel truly is the expert. My friends BAC was .30 and she was able to have the DUI case completely dismissed. In addition, she won her DMV hearing and did not suffer a suspended license. This was incredible because, it did not affect her insurance and she had no community service. That’s what I call results !! ... He addressed all my friends questions and concerns were handled courteously and promptly. Aaron eased my friends mind and made the whole process very simple. He is a savior and we were extremely grateful! I highly recommend Aaron Bortel to anyone in this type of situation. Again Aaron - many, many thanks !

I went to Aaron with a DUI/Hit and Run Charge. Aaron kept me very informed throughout the entire court proceedings. He got back to all of my questions in a timely manner and is very professional. He was able to get my charges dropped down to a Misdemeanor Hit and Run and I never had to miss a single day of work. I highly reccommend Aaron Bortel if you end up in a situation similar to mine,.

I was in the stadium parking lot after the 49er game sitting in my truck with my wife when a man approached my vehicle yelling that I bumped his rear passenger corner bumper . My truck was parked in reverse position in the parking stall with the front bumper sticking out more than it should of been into the driving lane , however, due to tailgating policy my long truck had to be sticking out to be able to provide space for our BBQ equipment and chairs at the rear area , this set up was not possible to do in the front. I explained to the man I was not driving and the truck was parked and not on , we began to yell and it got intense very fast , the security showed up during our yelling and soon after the police they separated us and gave me a sobriety balance exam that I failed , I was asked some questions and arrested and placed into custody. My blood was withdrawn for an alcohol test at the police station in a holding room by a lady then I sat around for 8 hours and released. At the arraignment hearing I pled not guilty and was told to show up in a week for trial arrangements. I sat in my car and began to research DUI lawyers and reading reviews after narrowing my search to about five lawyers I decided on my gut instinct and chose Aaron Bortel. It took eight months for the trial but during that time he communicated with me and kept me up to date with the progressions of the case and made all the DMV arrangements and extensions for me. At the trial he kept me informed of every move , it really felt like I had a big brother in the court room with me , he gave me advice about how to carry myself and control my emotions in and out of the court room , but most important he didn't waste my time when it came to representing me he had a game plan and he stuck with it he knew how to read the situation and knew when to make moves and when to sit back , the District Attorney was just as good , after all he had not lost a case since joining the D.A office earlier in the year, Mr. Bortel countered our facts with their misconception and the jury was very involved even asking questions prior to the long deliberation in which they concluded into a hung jury and split 6-6 . I was very pleased with Aaron's cross examination game plan he had several scenarios with different types of questions depending on what was said and not said , he also was able to keep out important info like my BAC level (double the legal limit) and the fact that it was my second DUI by filing motions to suppress and was able to have it granted before the trial started and the D.A was not able to use that info to the jury. All the small things he did for me before and during the trial is why we won. In the end the case was sent back to the D.A office for a second review and they refused to dismiss the case and I did not want to go through the whole thing again so we agreed to take a lesser charge and ended up pleading guilty to a "dry wreck less" which doesn't count as a prior and a lot less cheaper than DUI fees and no classes , no community service , no ignition device and no suspended license , he won my DMV hearing that I never had to attend. I went with my instincts and i got a chance to fight in court against the system and won . Thank you Aaron Sincerely , Hugo

I have never been involved in any type of legal matters or ever had a lawyer before for that matter so I don't have much to compare Aaron to; however, I will say that Aaron was a lifesaver in a huge time of need. I contacted Aaron after doing research and finding out my license was suspended at the time of me being charged while Driving Under the Influence. I looked online and found out jail time may be required for this offense depending on the ruling so as you can imagine I was very hectic and stressed out. I called a handful of lawyers and made my decision on how sounded the most authentic as that would give me the best gut feeling, and I felt very confident by picking Aaron based on the fact he was the only one that told me to check other options and decide what was best for me. Long story short, Aaron was extremely responsive the whole duration of the process. He was very knowledgable and provided me with all the options. Most importantly to me he was very reassuring and I always felt like I had a great resource on my side. He was able to get my charges reduced to a Wet and Reckless based on his expertise and great reputation. I would recommend Aaron to anyone without a flinch of the eye!

I am a 50 year old single white female who just recently moved to Marin County. It was a job related move. I am in sales. I NEED to drive in order to do my job. Public Transportation is NOTan option. So when I got a DUI less than 30 days of moving to Marin, I was absolutely devastated. Most of my closest friends and my family live on the East Coast. I was completely alone and frightened. I knew I needed to hire an attorney. I immediately got online and googled DUI attorney's. I found three in Marin County. I made an appointment with each of them. Aaron Bortel was the last attorney I met with. I knew almost immediately after meeting him that he was "the guy"...and you will too. He emits honesty and integrity. ...Characteristics not typically synonymous with "lawyer". Even after I agreed to hire Mr. Bortel, I was overwhelmed with the whole process between the DMV and the Court...I knew I had to just trust him. After he reviewed the police report and the video of my FST's, he recommended that we do not try to fight this in court. A decision that I had to accept despite my disappointment. However, here's what he did do: I never lost my driving privileges (in some cases you can't drive for up to a month or longer), I did not have to do any community service, and I only had to complete 10 weeks of DUI classes. My last class is tomorrow night. And after hearing other people's stories, I became increasingly aware of how fortunate I was that Aaron Bortel was my attorney. Don't think twice. Hire this man. You will be so thankful you did.

After being arrested for DUI and having no idea how to represent myself, I immediately called several attorneys the morning I was released. I was impressed that, not only did Aaron return my call personally but within ten to fifteen minutes. (only two others got back to me and not in a timely fashion). I explained what had happened and Aaron told me there were a couple things that didn't sound right, and he was very confident we could win in court. Well, he was right. Even though my breath alcohol level was .15% (almost twice the legal limit) he won the Motion to Suppress and the court case was dismissed. He also won the DMV hearing. As a result of Aaron's great work, there was no conviction, no license suspension, no fines, no points. 100% WIN. Aaron Bortel made a huge problem in my life go away. I can't thank him enough.

I was referred to Aaron by a work colleague who was familiar with Aaron's skills as a DUI attorney. From the first moment I walked into his office and met him, I was impressed. Aaron is very professional, and you can tell that he knows his stuff. He even had a breathalyzer in his office and he explained to me how they worked and where they can be misleading. Since I was a science guy, he also went over how your body metabolizes the alcohol you consume and how it goes into your blood. In our initial consultation, he asked me details about my arrest and answered every question that I had (which was a lot). I was very nervous about my arrest, especially since I am not from the U.S., I was just here visiting when I was arrested for DUI. He told me what possible outcomes he thought he could get from the charges, and what kind of time frame I should expect. I felt very comfortable with my decision to hire Aaron after walking out of his office after our first meeting. Aaron kept me informed every time there was a development on my case. In each event, he would describe the situation and let me know what to expect next. When it came time to for Aaron to talk to the D.A. about my case, Aaron was able to have my charges significantly reduced at the first hearing. Given my situation, it was a very good outcome, and I was able to accept the charges, pay a small fine and move on. The best part of this entire process was that Aaron was able to help me keep my drivers license! I am very grateful for the help that Aaron provided, and I highly recommend him to anyone needing help with DUI charges.

Arrested for DUI in SF but did not live there. Had some worries regarding making and attending the court dates especially since I did not live there and travel often for work. Glad to know that my case, although it took some time, was dismissed (DMV) thanks to Aaron. Also I did not have to change my life and daily routine because of this incident all thanks to a very knowledgeable attorney. I was able to get a temporary licences and finally get back my real license and I didn't even have to show up once to court.

I did not know Aaron prior to requiring his services. I did speak to another lawyer about him and he came highly recommended. Aaron called me quickly and reviewed my case with me thoroughly. He did all of the leg work to set up appointments and handle both the Court and DMV requirements. He always made me feel like a deserving citizen rather than a criminal! He was very responsive throughout the length of our engagement, taking time to respond by phone and by email with any and all details that I needed or asked for. I had an extremely positive outcome in both my Court and DMV meetings. I know that I would not have won either of those hearings without the professional and personal attention that Aaron gave in both of these courts while representing me. Thank you Aaron for giving me my life back!