How do I choose a criminal defense attorney in California?

Verify active licensure and any discipline in the State Bar of California's public records, then ask how often the attorney appears in the courthouse where your case is set, their experience with the charged offense, who will stand up in court with you, and how the flat fee is structured in the agreement Business and Professions Code section 6148 requires.

Two clocks make this decision urgent: arraignment comes within 48 hours for anyone in custody, and early advocacy shapes bail, release conditions, and sometimes whether charges are filed at all. Selection questions should be concrete. Courthouse familiarity is real currency — ask how frequently the attorney practices before the judges and prosecutors who will handle the case, and about experience with the specific charge, since defending a DUI, a fraud count, and a domestic violence allegation are different crafts. Ask who will personally appear at each hearing, how the office uses investigators, and what the written fee agreement required by Business and Professions Code section 6148 includes stage by stage — motions, probation hearings, and trial are commonly priced separately. Confirm status in the State Bar of California's public records, where license standing and any discipline are published. And for defendants who qualify, the public defender's office is a fully credentialed alternative under Penal Code section 987, appearing in the same courtrooms daily.

Authority: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 6148