Start with what happened to you.

Free guides to California criminal law, in plain words. Pick the sentence below that sounds like your week.

Written and reviewed by a licensed California attorney who has tried criminal cases. Nothing is sold here.

You are earlier in this than it feels.

An arrest is a start, not a decision. Charges get dropped, cases get reduced, and most never reach a trial. Every guide walks the ordinary path first, then says plainly when the worst version is a real risk.

What happened?

I was arrested last night. What happens next, and what you should not do today. I was served with papers. A restraining order, or a notice telling you to appear. I have court on Tuesday. Where to go, what to wear, what is actually said. I got a DUI. The court date, your license, and the 10-day clock. I want this off my record. What can be cleared, and what cannot. My sentence is over. Probation, fines, and getting back to normal.

Not sure? See all the guides, or search in your own words at the top of the page.

Some things are on a clock

Dates that run whether or not anyone tells you about them.

10 days Asking the DMV for a hearing about your license What the 10 days runs from, and what happens if you miss it. Days Your first court date after an arrest What arraignment is, and what happens if you miss it. On the notice The hearing date on a restraining order What the date means and what happens if you do not go.

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A different reader

Are you a lawyer? Start here instead.

Seven pieces written for practitioners, in their own section, so nothing on the public side has to be written twice.

Go to the attorney section
Practice notes How a thing actually gets done, written for someone who already knows the law. Current issues What changed recently and what it means at the counsel table.

Who writes this

Jacob H. Katz, a licensed California attorney who has tried criminal cases. I write these guides myself and I review every one of them. My name is here because a reader asking who stands behind an answer deserves one.

Nothing is sold here, no cases are taken, and there is no hire-me button anywhere on this site. This site asks you for nothing at all.