Bail & Bail Reduction Motions

When an individual is arrested, he is booked in the local jail.  Based on the local courts “bail schedule”, the person arrested may be released pending his court appearance by posting the bail prescribed for the alleged offense(s).  Posting bail is normally done through a bail bondsman.  Certain offenses are not bailable at arrest, such as murder.  Many people arrested for less serious offenses (misdemeanors) are released from jail without posting bail by signing a “promise to appear” (PTA) in court.  If a person is arrested for probation violation, the jail is frequently not allowed to release the person either on bail or by PTA.

If the individual is released from the jail by bail or PTA he should contact an attorney immediately.  A brief “window of opportunity” exists for the attorney to negotiate with the District Attorney or persuade the DA not to file charges in the court.

If the jail does not release an individual, he will soon appear in court for arraignment.  A defense attorney should be present at that time to persuade the judge to release the individual either by lowering bail or by release on PTA.  Sometimes the judge will set a formal bail hearing a few days later.

Our office has extensive and successful experience in getting our clients released from custody.  This is partly because of the experienced staff, which supports the attorneys.  Our “team approach” gets things done efficiently with the highest quality.