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.

Health and Safety Code 11550 makes it a misdemeanor to use or be under the influence of a controlled substance, even with no drugs found. Here is what the prosecutor must prove, how these cases are defended, and the diversion programs that can keep a conviction off your record.

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.

Speed contests, exhibitions of speed, and sideshow participation are misdemeanors under Vehicle Code section 23109, with a 30-day vehicle impound and possible license suspension. Here is what prosecutors in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles must prove and how these cases are defended.

A step-by-step guide to filing for divorce in Pomona, California: residency rules, the petition and summons, service, financial disclosures, temporary orders, and how cases at the Pomona Courthouse are finished.

Penal Code 25850 makes it a crime to carry a loaded firearm in public or in a vehicle. Learn what the prosecutor must prove, when the charge becomes a felony, the defenses that work, and what happens in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles County courts.

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.

Penal Code section 1000 pretrial diversion lets eligible defendants charged with simple drug possession complete a treatment program and have the charges dismissed without a conviction. This guide explains who qualifies, how the program works in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles County courts, and what happens if you do not finish.

Forgery under Penal Code section 470 is a wobbler in California. This guide covers the elements the prosecutor must prove, the Proposition 47 $950 rule, the defenses that work, and what a conviction means for your record, your job, and your immigration status.

A 995 motion asks a superior court judge to dismiss felony charges because the preliminary hearing evidence did not establish probable cause or the defendant was not legally committed. Here is how the motion works, the deadlines, the standard the judge applies, and how it is used in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles County.

Embezzlement under Penal Code section 503 is theft by someone who was trusted with the property. Learn the elements, the $950 felony line, defenses, penalties, and what employers and employees should expect in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles County courts.

When a criminal case comes down to an officer's word against yours, a Pitchess motion under Evidence Code 1043 can open the officer's personnel file for prior complaints of excessive force, dishonesty, or planted evidence. Here is the standard, the procedure, and how defense lawyers use it in resisting arrest, DUI, and drug cases.

A practical guide for people arrested in Whittier, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Pico Rivera, and La Mirada: where your case goes, how release and bail work in Los Angeles County, what happens at arraignment, and the mistakes that hurt cases before the first court date.

Restitution is often the most expensive part of a California criminal case. Here is how victim restitution and the restitution fine work under Penal Code section 1202.4, how the amount is set at a restitution hearing, what happens if you cannot pay, and how restitution shapes plea negotiations in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles County courts.

California divides community property equally in a Torrance divorce. Here is how the house, retirement accounts, businesses, and debts are handled at the Torrance courthouse.

The difference between a misdemeanor and a felony in California decides jail versus prison, how the case moves through court, and what the conviction does to your record and rights.

A false or exaggerated domestic violence accusation sets off a criminal case, a protective order, and often a custody fight at once. Here is how these cases are investigated and defended, the evidence that matters, and the mistakes that turn a defensible case into a conviction.

A plain-English guide to California's Three Strikes law: what counts as a strike, how a prior strike doubles your sentence, when 25 to life still applies after Proposition 36, and how a Romero motion asks the judge to strike a prior.

You can usually decline the roadside preliminary alcohol screening test, but refusing the chemical test after a lawful DUI arrest triggers a one-year license suspension and extra penalties under California's implied consent law. Here is how refusal actually works.

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.