Your son should retain criminal defense lawyer or ask the court to appoint him a lawyer when he turns himself in. Criminal defense lawyers, generally, deal with warrants on a regular basis.

Answer Applies to: Michigan
Replied: 11/4/2011

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The best way to find a good criminal defense is, just as with any kind of attorney, by referral from a friend or another attorney who is familiar with the attorneys work. If that is not possible you should attempt to find a criminal law specialist certified by the State Bar of California. While this not a guarantee that you will feel that that attorney is the right person for you, it is still a guarantee of experience and reputation in that he or she has achieved that status from his own profession. In addition you can always go to local bar association Lawyer Referral Service. These services also screen the attorneys to whom they provide cases for basic experience in the area. The worst way to find an attorney is from the jail mail that one receives after an arrest. These attorneys merely pay someone for access to this information and appears the only way they get clients, not a good recommendation. Finally, with regard to outstanding warrants, an attorney can likely calendar the matter before your son is arrested and get it before the court for further proceedings.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/31/2011

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Contact a criminal attorney for a consultation. You can determine if he has landed in custody (to explain why you may not have heard from him). If he is not in custody, you can determine the specifics of each warrant, try to locate him, and once he is located, go to court. You have to be prepared with a bail bondsman. Then get the warrants recalled and handle the pending cases in court. Clearly, the pending felony matters need to be addressed right away. You can explore whether there are any defenses or other issues that need to be addressed immediately.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/27/2011

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Virtually any criminal defense attorney who isn't just out of law school will understand the issue. He/She can probably get copies from the police so you can work something out with the court.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/27/2011

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Any criminal defense attorney should be able to run a warrants check for you. An attorney can appear to address misdemeanor and traffic warrants but, for felonies, your son must appear in person to have the warrants recalled. Clearly, the sooner the warrants are addressed the better otherwise he could be picked up at any time.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

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Warrants is very basic, and even the most inexperienced lawyers know how to deal with them. Just find someone you like and give that lawyer a call.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

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You are stating a great of issues that need to be discussed. Your son needs an attorney to deal with his problems.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Almost all criminal defense attorneys know about warrants and, more specifically, how to recall them. What you are looking for is a criminal defense attorney with many years of experience defending people in the court(s) in which your son's case(s) are being heard. As for how to find the right attorney for you. A good place to start is getting a referral for a criminal defense attorney from a trusted source. If you cannot get a referral, then you can do an internet search for attorneys who practice in the specific area(s)/county where your son's cases are filed. In addition to experience, you want to hire an attorney who has extensive knowledge of criminal law applicable to your son's cases, is a good communicator, answers your questions in a way that you understand, can explain what is happening and what you can expect to happen and, most importantly, will listen to you as is sounds as though you have been through a lot with your son. Finally, make sure that any attorney you meet is going to represent your son from start to finish and will not pass his case off to another, often less experienced attorney in the same office. You should settle for nothing less then meeting with the attorney you hire for your son.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

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First your son is 22, this makes him an adult. If you retain an attorney for him the attorney will be working with him and cannot disclose any information to you about your sons cases. If you still want to hire an attorney for your son you should consult with that attorney before signing any agreements. Most attorneys have free consultations. With some this is sales pitch where they give no information unless you hire them. Other attorneys will give you a real consultation. Talk to more than one attorney and see which one fits with your son best. Your son should be with you during the consultation and as it will be his attorney should have final say. You son should turn himself in to a judge at the court, not to the police. This court should be the one with the warrants for the most serious charges. He should have his attorney with him when he goes to the court. He should be ready to be taken into custody.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

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Pretty much any attorney who practices criminal defense law should be able to help you.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

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What is best for your son is a philosophical question and may have differing answers depending on the context of the conversation. Without your son's presence, there is little that can be done. Most courts will insit on his presence to recall the warrant even if they are going to put him in custody for the failure to appear. You can get rid of the trffic warrants by contacting the respective courts and paying the fine(s) for him. But those might be dismissed as part of some plea negotiation. Based 25 + years in this activity, if your son has never been in jail, has a severe addiction and you have had a habit of "bailing " him out of his troubles, let him sit in a jail for awhile. If one has a drug problem and does not voluntarily enroll in a program, you cannot force them into one. But you can allow them to be in a place where it is at least difficult for them to get their favorite intoxicant and sober up. Sometimes, before you can get the mule to drink, you have to hit it over the head with a 2x4 to get its attention. Druggies are a lot like mules and jail is the psychological equivalent to a 2x4.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

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Arrest warrants are not uncommon in criminal cases. Any competent criminal defense attorney should have enough knowledge on how to deal with outstanding arrest warrants. Depending on the county a criminal defense attorney may be able to contact the district attorney's office and negotiate the cases that even if they are in warrant status. Some counties however will not discuss cases that are in warrant status. The attorney can at least negotiate or arrange with the sheriff or law enforcement agency for your son's voluntary turn in. That is if you make contact with your son before he is arrested. You may also want to enlist the services of a bail bonds agency so that he can bail out quickly after being arrested.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Look for an attorney that focuses exclusively on criminal law, not an attorney that just dabbles in criminal cases. Websites such as avvo will allow you to search for a local criminal defense attorney and you can go from there. Best of luck.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 10/26/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.