Long Beach Criminal Defense Attorneys

Vigorous criminal defense

Our Long Beach criminal defense and DUI attorneys have years of experience in fighting to get our clients’ criminal offense charges reduced or dismissed. Common cases we take involve:

• Criminal record expungements
• Domestic violence
• Drug charges, such as drug possession (HS 11350)
• DUI crimes (driving under the influence)
• Fraud, such as credit card fraud
• Gang crimes (PC 186.22)
• Grand theft auto (PC 487d1)
• Hit and run (VC 20002)
• Lewd conduct
• Sex crimes, such as sexual assault (PC 243.4)
• Theft crimes, such as shoplifting
• Violent crimes, such as assault and battery (PC 242)
• White collar crimes

Our Long Beach DUI lawyers also try to prevent our clients from getting suspended licenses by appearing at their DMV hearings.

Long Beach Jail and Courthouse

The Long Beach Police Department is responsible for law enforcement in the city of Long Beach. It is the second-largest municipal police agency in Los Angeles County.

Most people who are arrested in Long Beach are taken to and booked at the Long Beach City Jail, located at

400 West Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 435-6711

The Long Beach City Jail is one of California’s largest city jails. The women’s facility can accommodate 70 inmates; the men’s section can accommodate 132. Parolees and those arrested on out-of-county warrants are transported to a Los Angeles County Jail such as the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail or the Twin Towers Jail. Search for an inmate here.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes criminal cases in Long Beach. Cases are heard in the Governor George Deukmejian Long Beach Courthouse, located at:

275 Magnolia Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 256-2310

Search for criminal court information here.

Criminal court process

In general, anyone arrested on a criminal charge in Long Beach will have the option to bail out or possibly get an OR release. Should the D.A. elect to prosecute, the defendant’s next obligation is to show up to court at the arraignment. But in many cases, judges will waive the defendant’s appearance as long as he/she has private counsel appearing on his/her behalf.

It is important that defendants show up to all required court appearances. Otherwise, the judge will order that a bench warrant be issued for the defendant’s arrest. Once the warrant is outstanding, the defendant is vulnerable to being arrested at any time. But judges are usually agreeable to recalling the warrant if the defendant (or defense attorney) files a “motion to quash the warrant” and appears at a court hearing.

Defendants without the financial resources to hire their own attorney will be assigned a public defender. But then defendants usually have to appear at every court hearing in person.

Once the arraignment ends, the case enters the pretrial stage. This is when the defense attorney investigates the case for any weak links in the state’s evidence. And the defense attorney tries to negotiate a resolution with the prosecutors in an attempt to avoid trial. In some cases, the defense attorney can persuade the D.A. to reduce or dismiss the charges.

If the defendant decides to enter a plea – or if the defendant gets convicted following a trial – the judge will impose a criminal sentence. In some cases, defendants with a criminal conviction can avoid any jail time by agreeing to go on probation and follow all the probationary terms. Common terms are paying a fine, avoiding alcohol, and not getting any more arrests.

Our legal team consists of former police officers and former prosecutors in the California criminal justice system, and we use our insider knowledge to beat law enforcement at its own game. Our Long Beach criminal defense lawyers create attorney-client relationships throughout northern, central, and southern California. Our practice areas also include personal injury in addition to criminal law.

Disclaimer: Past case results and testimonials of our legal representation do not guarantee future results.