If you or someone you know has been charged with a criminal case at the San Fernando Courthouse, it is critical to hire a lawyer that is well known and highly respected in the San Fernando Court. Hiring an outsider for a case in San Fernando is akin to hiring a dentist to perform back surgery — it is something you simply do not do.
If you are serious about your case, you will hire a criminal defense lawyer that handles criminal cases in the San Fernando courthouse each and every week, and that has strong relationships with the prosecutors, judges and court staff. Here are a few good reasons to only hire a local San Fernando attorney for a case filed in the San Fernando Courthouse:
Relationships with prosecutors and judges — It is imperative that your attorney have a good working relationship with the prosecutor and judge assigned to your case. While certainly not every lawyer that regularly practices in San Fernando has a good reputation — there are always some bad apples — chances are that most local San Fernando lawyers will have developed strong relationships with the District Attorney or City Attorney handling your case, and the judge or Judges that you will be in front of. Having a good working relationship with a prosecutor can make an immense difference in the outcome of a client’s case. A respected attorney’s word will carry more weight and they may be able to get offers and deals from a prosecutor that outside attorneys who are not San Fernando regulars cannot. The same applies to relationships with Judges. Judges who know and respect local San Fernando defense attorneys are more likely to make rulings in favor of a client. This can be critical on small matters such as getting a continuance to critical matters such as rulings during trial.
Understanding the “climate” of San Fernando — San Fernando is a small city with its own unique character and history. People born and raised in San Fernando generally have great pride in their city. A local San Fernando attorney who regularly practices in the San Fernando Courthouse and regularly represents people who live in and directly around San Fernando, have a better understanding of the city — both its positive and negative sides — and the people who live within it. Why is this important? When a defense lawyer represents a client, it is critical that he understands who he is representing, where he is from, how he was raised, and the neighborhood that impacted him. Without this understanding, a lawyer cannot truly understand his client. Simply put, a person born and raised in Beverly Hills may be different than a person born and raised in San Fernando, and a defense lawyer must understand these differences.
Jury Selection — If a criminal case ends up in trial, a jury is compromised of 12 people from the community. For a case in San Fernando, jurors come from San Fernando, Pacoima, North Hills and other adjacent cities, as wells as Santa Clarita, which is very different from San Fernando. Most, but not all, clients in San Fernando identify as Hispanic or Latino, so it is critical that defense attorney is able to select local jurors that can best relate to his client and his experiences that may have led him to engage in conduct that result in the filing of criminal charges. Sometimes cultural and racial nuances are at issue and can be critical in selecting the right jurors. A local San Fernando lawyer will best understand these nuances and will be able to best select a jury that will provide his client with a fair and impartial trial.