I don't have a DUI on my record and Attorney Philip Gagnon is the reason for that. In my younger and more careless days, I was cited for being over .01 BAC as a 20yr old. In the state of California, Zero Tolerance dictates that any traceable amount of alcohol in a "minor's" system is grounds for a serious legal beat down. At the time, I was a junior in college and was working fulltime. The night I was pulled over I wasn't the slightest bit intoxicated. In fact, I was on my way to my apartment to get intoxicated in an environment where driving would not be part of the equation. My mistake was that I had had a beer with a friend before heading home and I had beers in my possession. Instead of celebrating the end of the semester with friends that night, I celebrated my accountability as a half-adult in jail. I say half-adult because I was old enough to be locked up with the dregs of society but was not old enough to drink a beer. The officers were "charming", as per usual in San Diego. I would love to give them the benefit of the doubt by saying they were just doing their jobs but I won't because they weren't. Instead of arresting prostitutes, drug dealers, and violent criminals, eight SDPD officers spent several hours arresting me, impounding my vehicle, and trying to charge me with driving under the influence. I spent the next 18 hours locked up in the downtown jail and wasn't released until 3pm the next afternoon. When finally released, I was a mixture of pissed off and scared; pissed because of what had happened and scared because I knew how expensive DUI's were. On my way home from adult timeout, I flipped through a copy of "The Daily Aztec". I was never an avid reader of the aforementioned periodical but I needed something to take my mind off having spent the night in jail. About half way to the Olive Garden, I saw an ad for "The DUI Guys". Having never needed legal representation or advice for that matter, I decided to give it a go and set up a meeting. The rest is history; history that undoubtedly favored me and my being wrongfully accused. Philip Gagnon is an OG DUI defense attorney, fighting the good fight and keeping the SDPD honest. He is the undisputed heavy weight champion of making sure you're treated fairly, the Michael Jordan of negotiating plea bargains, and the Laurence Olivier of court room theatre. If you find yourself in a precarious situation and your "get out of jail free card" is expired, give Philip a call and thank your lucky stars you read this review. You're Welcome! read more

Wow! Phillip is the DUI GURU! After being bailed out of jail August of this year, I found him via yelp. Saw all of his reviews and was convinced I found a bulldog! I gathered my information and met up with him a few days later. He was just as upset as me if not even more upset. From day one, he was prepared to fight the good fight. The prosecution 'tried' to give me was a dry with wet conditions. That was dumb on their part. So, we decided to take the prosecution to trial. To make a long story short, Phillip made the prosecution look like complete dumbasses! Its hard not to laugh while watching him rip people to shreds in court. We won!! My husband and I were both scared out of our minds! But, Phillip being the professional that he his really put our minds at ease!!! If you want someone to look out for you and to treat your case as if it were his own, this is the guy!!! My husband and I greatly appreciate his hardwork and dedication!!! Thanks again Phillip we love you man!!!!! read more

Philip is absolutely magnificent. He took care of my case very well from the day I first called him. He gave me a free consultation and explained to me many intricacies and answered the stressful questions I had looming over my head. What's really great about Philip is that he is VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE. My situation was pretty unique and he definitely went the extra mile to take care of me. I was under 21 during the time of my arrest, and had turned 21 before I went to trial. Philip helped explain to me how the process of getting a restricted license looked in my unique situation, and what a critical needs license was. Philip also clearly explained to me how the DMV and the court operates and how they often might conflict with each other, and the intricacies of each matter. Philip was awesome, I wouldn't recommend anyone else to my friends or family if they ever got in a situation like this. He even agreed to compromise on the cost of services for me because I was a student. On top of that, he went the extra mile to court to inquire about the status of my License suspension even after my case was completed when I had questions. The only thing I could criticize about is that it can be hard to reach him sometimes, you might need to go through a receptionist and wait for a call back for up to a week or so. But either way, I would sincerely highly recommend him. Thanks Philip! read more

I had the misfortune of getting a DUI back in October of 2009. Since it was my first time ever getting arrested or committing an offense, I was scared and I didn't know what to do. My friend told me to get a lawyer ASAP, and my neighbor (also a client of Philip's) gave me his card and told me that he would take good care of me. And that he did. Philip walked me through everything step by step, kept me well informed, and let me know my options of how things could possibly go. He is very thorough and found a discrepancy on my police report which saved me from having my license suspended and from possibly not even having to go to court at all (hopefully!). But he said that even if they did take me to court he would most likely be able to get me off anyway... Philip was also kind enough to work within my budget (or lack thereof) because I have been unemployed for months. Philip is absolutely great and if I ever had to go through something like this again (hopefully not!!) I would definitely want him by my side!!! Thank you so much Philip!!! :-D read more

Hard to match the other reviews on here. But if your looking for the best look no further you've found them. Phillip took the time to listen pleaded my case and I have no REASONABLE doubt this was the best choice for me !!!!!!! read more

No other attorney bothered to read my entire criminal complaint. They all fed me a line about getting me completely cleared (for a huge amount of fees). Phillip took the time to study my complaint and explain what I would probably face. When the smoke cleared he got me a deal that shocked me. For my situation the result was a lot better than I expected. He is one of the best. Don't get conned by other guys who will promise you the moon. Phillip knows the prosecutors and judges. He has a good rapport and reputation and will get you the best deal one could expect. Don't settle for anyone else till you at least talk to Phillip. He gets 5 gold stars in my book. read more

After reading all the great reviews I decided to go to DUI Guys for help. I wanted help with my 18 old years SDSU student son who got DUY for 0.072% alcohol level but fortunately he was not arrested. Philip took the case knowing California law "0" tolerance for underage drinking and no matter what he could do nothing would help 18 years old child who legally cannot drink. Obviously we paid right away $1200+ fee for police attendance in the court and we never heard from him anymore, only two emails from his secretary, until actual court date. In court I was so stressed out because he was late and they called us in the courtroom and he was not there. My husband was calling him through his secretary and he was telling us he would be there in 10 min and he finally came whole hour later. One hour late in court is professionally acceptable. He had two cases, both underage drinking and as extremely nice the judge was toward my son, the law is the law, and nobody will break it. Obviously he lost both cases and he promised me to send paper for Critical license but again I never heard from him ever again. I don't know how great he is for adults but please don't make my mistake to pay so much unprofessional attorney for underage drinking case because he'll promise help, charge you so much money and wont help. read more

If youre in need of a great defense for DUIs, look no further. The DUI Guys, Philip, is the best defense attorney in San Diego hands down. I was looking for the best, affordable, and trust worthy attorney when I received my DUI arrest back in April of 2015, and narrowed it down to a few other attorneys along with Philip. After meeting with a couple other attorneys and then with Philip, I knew Philip was my best affordable chance at fighting this case. The meeting with him went great and he did not have any smoke and mirrors like the other attorneys. Philip was straight forward and honest, additionally, he seemed more eager to fight my case and confident than me. After months of fighting the case, he got my DUI dropped down to a dry wreckless!!! You read that right, a dry wreckless which in the eyes of the law is wreckless driving. I did not have any implication of alcohol on my record and I was very worried because I have to drive a company vehicle for work. Philip is very busy fighting other cases during the weeks, so if you text or call him, he might not get back to you right away, however, he will get back to you. I found that contacting his assistant/secretary Andrea would get you a very rapid response to any questions you have. Andrea replied to all of my emails and any other means of contact with the office. I am now relieved to put this behind me and pay whatever I need to pay and take whatever classes I need to in order to move on from this life experience. Please do not feel like Philip is not attentive to your every texts, calls, needs, etc because even though we want a rapid response to our questions and concerns in our times of vulnerability, trust and have faith in Philip, for he is on our side fighting for our rights to not let the system take advantage of us. Not having a DUI on my record is what inspires me to share with you guys the results of what Philip has done for me and I will never forget that. Thanks again Philip, you're a true undisputed CHAMPION in my book. read more

Thanks to Yelp decided to read reviews to find the best and most affordable attorney I can get. From reviews I decided on Philip Gagnon he was the best decision I've made probably in my entire life. He's not just an attorney he makes you feel special almost like a friend who really cares about the outcome. I have been dealing with my case for over year and a couple trials he still with me and I couldn't ask for a better person to be on my side. Awesome attorney awesome person who really cares the best that you can possibly get. read more

My experience with Philip was just as the prior reviewers promised. He is knowledgeable, professional, generous with relevant information, affable and easy to work with. He provided an extensive, but easy to fill out questionnaire which he examined before we met. In that way, he started the consultation with an extensive knowledge of the individual case. During the consultation, he laid out the choices clearly, explained the intricacies of the situation and the likely consequences of each possible course of action and the associated costs. As a result, I was able to make an informed decision about how to procede. I don't plan on needing a DUI lawyer again, but, if I did, I would choose Philip Gagnon, of the DUI Guys, and be confident that my case was getting the best defense possible. read more