Criminal Defense FAQs

Helping our clients get out of jail and stay out of jail is our top priority. We work with reputable bail bondsmen who respond immediately when we need to help a client post a bail bond. We are also able to get our clients discounted rates on bail fees with a referral from our firm, either through a discounted percentage rate or a payment plan. Mirador Law does not receive compensation for helping our clients navigate the process of posting a bail bond.

Our firm has also been successful in helping clients post property bonds instead of relying on a bail bonds company to post a bond. This can result in thousands of dollars in savings in bail money for our clients. We will assist you in determining the value of the property and then file the paperwork necessary to post a property bond to get you out of jail.

IT IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA TO TALK TO THE POLICE WITHOUT A LAWYER PRESENT. The Fifth Amendment of the United States provides you with two important rights – the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. If you are contacted by police to give a statement, tell the officer that you are going to remain silent and will not talk without your lawyer present.

Call Mirador Law immediately if you believe that the police are trying to interview you about an incident. Many times, if a decision has been made to place you under arrest, we are able to arrange your appearance in court without the embarrassment of being arrested in front of family, friends or coworkers.

Yes, do not talk about the alleged crime while you are in custody. All phone calls and correspondence in and out of jail are monitored and recorded by law enforcement. Any communication made while in custody can be used against a client at any stage of the proceedings.

The first thing that happens in a domestic violence case is that the judge issues a restraining order prohibiting the defendant from contacting the complaining witness. The restraining order, also known as a “no contact” order, is a court order stating that the defendant cannot contact the complaining witness, in any way, for at least the length of the case. In many situations, the complaining witness does not want a “no contact” order placed between him/her and the defendant. For a variety of reasons, the defendant and the complaining witness may want and need to communicate with each other. The “no contact” order can be changed. We have helped all of our clients who wanted the “no contact” order lifted by bringing the case back into court and asking the judge for a modification. Once the “no contact” order is modified, we focus on defending the criminal case.

If you are arrested for drunk driving you are required by law to provide a breath or blood sample for testing. This is true even if you blew into a portable breath machine prior to your arrest. If you refuse to take a chemical test after you have been arrested, you will face a longer license suspension or revocation that you otherwise might. However, officers are required to offer you the choice of a blood test or a breath test.

Unless you or your DUI attorney requests a hearing with the DMV within 10 days of your DUI/DWI arrest, your driver’s license will be automatically suspended. As your DUI attorney, we will do everything we can with the court and the DMV to prevent your license from being suspended. We are regularly able to persuade DMV hearing officers not to suspend our clients’ licenses. In other cases, we have been able to help our clients obtain restricted licenses that allowed them to drive to and from work.