I've been practicing now for 26 years in Los Angeles County.  I've had numerous out-of-state individuals contact me and hire me.  Sometimes, it's another lawyer practicing in a different state who has connections and a client in Los Angeles, and they need help.

At other times, it's a family member of someone who has been arrested in Los Angeles — a mother, father, sister, or brother — or another family member calling on behalf of their loved one who has been arrested and needs assistance in Los Angeles.

At other times, it's people who live in a different state, come to California, get arrested or prosecuted in Los Angeles, and now they have to return to their home state, but they need an attorney here in Los Angeles.  What they end up having to do is hire me, and I end up guiding them through the process.

Multiple Court Appearances

So, you can definitely hire a California criminal defense lawyer even though you might be out of state.  You obviously just have to make sure that you get the right lawyer — somebody who is going to be able to take care of your case.

I've handled many of these cases, and there's a lot that goes into it. Often, even if the case is straightforward and can be easily resolved, it typically won't be resolved in a single court appearance.  There will usually be multiple court appearances.

You or your loved one may be ordered to do certain things, and that loved one may not be able to make those appearances if they live out of state.  What ends up happening is that the attorney takes care of it for them.

For example, suppose they have to turn in community service, or do a domestic violence program, even out of state. In that case, they can send me the proof that they're doing what they're supposed to, and then obviously, I make the court appearance and let the judge know what's going on until probation is over.

Then they can move on with their life.  Often, we help our clients get cases expunged or dismissed, resulting in reduced charges for misdemeanors.  There are various vehicles available in Los Angeles, California, that we can use to assist someone from out of state, providing them with a sense of relief and peace of mind.

Arrest Warrants

Sometimes, people are out of state and have a warrant out for their arrest, and they need my help.  Often, they'll retain me.  I'll do the initial legwork of figuring out what the warrant is all about, who the prosecutor is, and who the judge is, and then I'll develop a game plan for exactly how we're going to handle the warrant. After that, I'll have the person come in from out of state.

We'll appear in court.  We'll have the case sent into the courtroom.  We'll have any warrant quashed, and then we'll proceed with the case.

At other times, people are out of state and unable to return to Los Angeles due to the warrant, as they need to travel.  I have been successful in getting warrants removed from the system for some time — typically two to three weeks — to allow the person to travel back to Los Angeles, ensuring an efficient and effective process that instills confidence and security.

Then we proceed with the case, and we're done as long as the judge confirms that you've hired an attorney and the attorney is attempting to resolve the matter. Often, they'll be reasonable in reference to taking the warrant out for a certain period, because they realize that if you don't show up within that two-week period, they'll just put the warrant back into the system.

So, as long as it sounds legitimate to them and makes sense, we can often have the warrant removed from the system and address the issue.

Call our Law Firm to Review Your Case

So, if you've got an out-of-state situation where you're out of state and you've got a criminal case in Los Angeles — whether you're an attorney, a family member, or the actual defendant, pick up the phone, make the call.  Often, I can speak with you and my office manager on the phone.

We can pull your case, figure everything out and decide exactly what we're going to do related to your criminal matter and really put the case together before you even get into town so things run very smoothly, easily, effectively and you don't have to worry about being taken into custody in your criminal matter, providing you with a sense of ease and reducing stress.

Often, we can also avoid that.  It's just a matter of handling things the right way and knowing how the Los Angeles criminal system works and then doing everything necessary to get you out of that system to allow you to go back to your home state so that you can effectively deal with your criminal case and we're certainly here to help you do that.

Hedding Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm located in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, at 16000 Ventura Blvd, #1208, Encino, CA 91436. We are also located at 633 West Fifth Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071. Contact us for a free case evaluation at (213) 542-0979.