A misdemeanor citation with a promise to appear is a criminal case, not a ticket. Here is what cite and release under Penal Code 853.6 means, what happens at the court date, and why the weeks before arraignment matter.

Penal Code 977 lets a lawyer appear for you in most misdemeanor cases, which can mean never setting foot in the courthouse. Here are the exceptions, the felony rules, the remote appearance options, and the mistakes that turn a missed date into a bench warrant.

For non-citizens, the immigration consequences of a plea are often worse than the sentence. This guide explains crimes involving moral turpitude, aggravated felonies, drug, firearm, and domestic violence grounds, the 364-day rule, Padilla and Penal Code 1016.3, and how to vacate an old plea under Penal Code 1473.7.

A detective called and wants your side of the story. Here is what that call usually means, what happens if you talk, what happens if you do not, and how a lawyer can intervene before charges are filed in Riverside, San Bernardino, or Los Angeles County.

Arrested near LAX or in Inglewood, Hawthorne, Westchester, or Culver City? Here is how release, charging, and the first court date at the Airport Courthouse usually work, and the mistakes that cost people their cases.

Arrested in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, or Camarillo? Here is what happens after booking, how release works, and what to expect at your first court date at the Ventura County Hall of Justice.

A guilty or no contest plea is not always final. This guide explains when a California court will allow a plea to be withdrawn under Penal Code section 1018, what good cause means, the deadlines, the immigration-based motion under section 1473.7, and what happens to the plea bargain if the motion is granted.

Penal Code 1001.80 allows a court to divert a misdemeanor, including a DUI, for a current or former service member whose charge may be connected to PTSD, TBI, substance abuse, or another service-related condition. Here is who qualifies and how the process runs.

An honest comparison of public defenders and private criminal defense attorneys in California: who qualifies, what each does well, what appointed counsel usually cannot do before arraignment, how fees work, and how to decide for your case.

A practical guide for people arrested in Anaheim, Fullerton, Brea, Placentia, Yorba Linda, Buena Park, and La Habra: booking and release, where the case is heard, the first court date at the North Justice Center, and the mistakes that cost people the most in the first two weeks.

A practical guide to theft and shoplifting cases at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach: which cases go there, what happens at arraignment, how Orange County prosecutors make offers, and how diversion and dismissal work.

If your case was never filed, dismissed, or ended in acquittal, Penal Code section 851.91 lets you petition to seal the arrest. Here is who qualifies, how the CR-409 petition works, what sealing does and does not do, and how it differs from expungement.

From the trial readiness conference to the verdict: how jury selection, motions in limine, the prosecution's case, the defense case, closing argument, deliberations, and hung juries actually work in California criminal court.

A practical guide to criminal cases at the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster: release, arraignment, bail, the DA's offers, diversion, and the mistakes that hurt Antelope Valley defendants.

Criminal charges in California get dismissed for specific legal reasons, not because a defendant asks. This guide explains the ten paths to dismissal, from a declined filing to suppression motions, Penal Code 995 and 1385, speedy trial violations, diversion, and civil compromise, and what each one requires.

A practical guide to felony arraignment at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles: timing, the plea, bail and release, protective orders, the preliminary hearing clock, and the mistakes that hurt defendants in their first week.

The pretrial conference is where most California criminal cases are actually decided. Here is what happens in the courtroom and the hallway, what a time waiver means, how offers move, which motions get set, and the mistakes that cost defendants leverage.

A practical guide to your first court date on a misdemeanor at the Long Beach courthouse: who prosecutes, whether you must appear, what the judge decides, and what to do before you walk in.

A practical guide to criminal cases at the Pomona courthouse in eastern Los Angeles County: arraignment, bail, the DA, plea offers, diversion, and the mistakes that hurt defendants from Pomona, Claremont, La Verne, San Dimas, Glendora, Covina, West Covina, Walnut, and Diamond Bar.

A misdemeanor is a criminal conviction with jail exposure, a permanent record, and consequences for immigration, licensing, custody, and employment. Here is what a defense lawyer actually does in a misdemeanor case and how to decide between a public defender, a private attorney, and going it alone.