Long Beach Courthouse
275 Magnolia
Long Beach, CA 90802
Long Beach Court Criminal Defense Attorney
I've been handling cases in the Long Beach courthouse for twenty-five years. Actually, the old courthouse was recently gotten rid of, and they now have a multi-million dollar new courthouse. I was out there recently – beautiful building – but I'll tell you, they're tough on crime in Long Beach. LA County stretches from Long Beach to Lancaster and everything in between. I've done a lot of cases in this court system, and in my experience, the judges and prosecutors can be harsh. They can be conservative, and they're tough on crime.
So, in my opinion, especially if you have a loved one who has a serious case in the city of Long Beach, you've got to get a fighter. You've got to get somebody who will stand up to this Long Beach system, especially if you've got a case where the person is innocent.
Once they file that case and start angling up all the evidence and investigating it, I typically see a one-sided investigation—where they basically ignore all the evidence that helps the defendant and try to gather as much evidence against the defendant as they possibly can.
I've also seen that once you show them the other evidence to try to get them to dismiss the case or mitigate it down to something less – instead of accepting it and looking at it and assessing it and considering it, the powers that be there are looking to try to counter it.
Now they're going to send their investigators out, talk to their witnesses, and point out your new evidence. So, there may be better strategies in some cases.
You Need a Lawyer With Experience in Criminal Cases
You need to get somebody who has experience with criminal defense, especially if it's a case that will go to the preliminary hearing, there will be a trial, motions need to be filed, and it will be a hard-fought battle.
I've been doing this for twenty-five years. I know that court system. I've been all over LA County. I can also negotiate cases as well, and it's important to have someone who knows what they're doing to try a case, but also someone who can negotiate a case because if somebody tries a lot of cases in Long Beach and is successful, they're going to also be successful in negotiating cases in my opinion because the prosecutors are going to respect them. When they come in to negotiate, they're going to listen to what they have to say because they know that this person can actually win a case.
I tell you, in Los Angeles County, they move the prosecutors all around. So, you could see a prosecutor in Norwalk one day and then in Long Beach the next day. So, the bottom line is, you have to get somebody who's been around the block because when you go in to negotiate these cases, a lot of the prosecutors who are in the higher-up positions – the Grade Four prosecutors have been moved all around LA count.
I've seen a lot of those prosecutors. I've talked to them. I've interacted with them. So, if I bump up against one of these guys that's very reasonable, and we need to resolve the case by way of negotiation, then obviously, I'm going to know how to deal with him.
On the flip side, if I go to Long Beach and I find somebody who's unreasonable, and I've dealt with them before, and I know that they're not going to give us what they want, then I'm going to be looking to side-step that person and get to somebody else—whether it be going to the judge or going to that person's superior and figure out a way not to deal with them so that we can end up with the best result.
So, if you have a case in Long Beach, give the Hedding Law Firm a call. We'll sit down and talk, and I'll see what I can do to help you through this difficult situation.
Is Long Beach A Conservative Courthouse As Compared To Other Courts?
Believe it or not, this is an important question as it relates to how your case will be dealt with in the Long Beach criminal court system. The more conservative a courthouse is, the more likely it will be harsh on crime and the defendants who pass through its doors.
Long Beach is conservative and tough on crime for a number of reasons. First, there is a lot of gang activity in the LBC, and in order to combat that crime element, the courthouse has no choice but to hand down harsh sentences to send a message.
On the other hand, non-gang-related offenses are dealt with in a much more equitable manner, in my experience. Because the courthouse handles so many matters, it realizes that it simply can not take a harsh position on every case, or it will be forced to do too many trials, and the courtrooms will not be able to handle it.
Other types of cases that the prosecutors are particularly harsh on, in my experience, it weapons charges, sex crimes, and domestic violence. These types of crimes are prosecuted harshly through Los Angeles County, so Long Beach Superior Court would certainly not be any different.
If you have one of these types of criminal cases, or any criminal case for that matter, your best strategy is to find a seasoned attorney with experience in Long Beach.
Why Should You Hire Your Private Attorney
If you hire your attorney, then you can give them all of the facts that are important and related to your case. Many times, the Public Defender's Office and its deputies simply do not have the time or workforce to prepare a criminal case properly.
If you want someone to fight for you, it is my opinion that you are going to have to hire a champion of your choice and arm them with the necessary information to litigate your case properly. In this process, you should sit down face to face with your attorney and let them know what type of outcome you need from your case and your attorney.
If you are unsure about what you should be shooting for, your attorney should help you figure it out. I consider it my number one job to sit down with my clients and get down to the “nitty gritty” of what their case is worth and what our target is going to be. Once we agree on a vision, we will set a plan in motion to achieve it! Contact our law firm today!
