Your First Court Appearance_ Navigating the Legal Process in Orange County

Law Office of Hieu Vu

This video covers what to expect during your first court appearance. It offers guidance on what to wear, how to present yourself, and what to anticipate as you go through security and enter the courthouse. The video explains the stages of the hearing, particularly focusing on the arraignment, where you will have the opportunity to admit or deny your charges.   It also discusses potential outcomes of your first appearance and what actions to take afterward. The video highlights the importance of having an attorney, whether you qualify for a public defender, and the types of questions you should ask the court. Additionally, it covers the process of posting bond and factors that influence it.   Common questions are addressed, including what happens if you fail to appear, whether you can change a guilty plea, and the possibility of going to jail. These are just a few of the key topics this video will cover to help you prepare for your first court appearance.   For More Information: https://vulawoffice.com/courthouses/first-court-appearance/   Website: Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney | Law Office Of Hieu Vu  Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hieuvulaw/  Twitter: Hieu Vu (@Hieuvulaw) on X  Facebook: Law Office of Hieu Vu | Tustin CA  Instagram: Instagram (@hieuvuesq)  Yelp: Law Office of Hieu Vu - Tustin, CA Appointments: https://live.vcita.com/site/criminallawyer Phone or Text - 714-589-3063  Law Office of Hieu Vu  18002 Irvine Blvd #108  Tustin CA 92780   "Music: www.bensound.com"

Transcript

00:00Oh, there you are. Welcome. I'm Hugh Vu and today we're addressing a crucial topic for anyone

00:06navigating the legal system for the first time. Your first court appearance. We're focusing on

00:12specifically on what to expect at the Orange County Superior Court, whether or not it would

00:16be at the Harvard Justice Center, Santa Ana, Fulton Courthouse, or Westminster. Let's get

00:24started. Courtroom. The significance of the first court appearance. We'll explain what an

00:30arraignment is and what it means for both misdemeanor and felony cases. This is your

00:36official entry into the legal system where you confront the charges against you. When you first

00:43go into the courtroom on the first day, this court is called an arraignment court. You do not

00:51get a chance to go out there and talk about your case. It is a very procedural day. This is the

00:58day that you go in there and then you either admit or deny the charges. This is also a chance

01:06for your attorney to do this if they go in your place. For misdemeanor cases, in most instances,

01:14your attorney can go for you. That means you can stay home and send them in. However, for felony

01:19cases, you will have to be there absent extraordinary circumstances. If, for example, you were in

01:27another country and your attorney made pre-arrangements with the court ahead of time. On top of that,

01:33this is also the date that the police report will be available to either you or your attorney.

01:39In addition, this would be also a day when you are able to make additional requests for any type of

01:45audio and video on your case. How to prepare for your arraignment. Gathering documents and

01:51understanding your case is crucial. We'll guide you through preparing for your court date and

01:56what documents you'll need. As far as documents, you will need your citation to appear. The reason

02:03for this is because you may have to refer to it if you do not see your case on calendar.

02:08If this is the case, you will need to take your document over to the district attorney's office

02:13to give them the information. So that way you can at least cover your butts and show that you did

02:19show up to court. They'll give you a piece of paperwork saying that your court case was not

02:25filed. As far as other documents goes, if you are out in bail, you will want to take your bail

02:30paperwork. And this is important because you need to show to the court that you have posted bail.

02:36And many times when bail is posted, the court doesn't always get noticed for it. So it's

02:41important that you do this. So that way you're not remanded into custody. If this is either a

02:46felony or a second DUI or above or a domestic violence case. If you have an attorney, your

02:55attorney will handle all this for you. Navigating the courthouse and practical guide from security

03:02protocols to courtroom etiquette will cover what to expect when you arrive at the courthouse and

03:06how to conduct yourself. When you initially arrive to any of the courthouse in Orange County,

03:12it's important that you take out any type of knives or weapons out of your body. You would

03:19not believe the amount of people who have picked up new crimes because they have brought a blade

03:25into court. It's important that you do not do that. On top of that, take out any lighters,

03:31use common sense. If you have any type of drugs, leave that out as well. You will be going through

03:36a metal detector. Anything that lights up, the sheriffs or bailiffs will screen you. On top of

03:42that, it's also important that you respect courtroom etiquette. When it comes to courtroom

03:49etiquette, you will walk into the courtroom and also check in with the bailiff. You don't go

03:55talking with anybody else. You have to go check in with the bailiff because the bailiff is the

04:00main person that keeps track of who is inside that courtroom. After you check in with the

04:06bailiff, you'll grab a seat, sit down, and in many cases, you will see a television monitor or a

04:14judge come out. The judge or the television monitor will explain your rights at the arraignment,

04:21in a nutshell, inside the courtroom, the arraignment process. Understand the steps of

04:27an arraignment from how to enter a plea to your rights about legal representation. In this segment,

04:34we're going to talk about how to enter your plea. If you do this yourself, which I highly advise

04:40against, the judge will call your name and you will come up and they would ask, how do you plea?

04:47If you admit the charges, then you could say guilty. If you disagree with the charges,

04:52then you would say not guilty. It's important to know that at this point of time, you may get an

04:59offer from the prosecutor. They may pull you out and talk to you about your case. Alternatively,

05:05they may not, and the judge may come up and call you up and give you an offer on your case as well.

05:13However, it's also important to know that some of these offers do not stick around or they may not

05:20be the best one for your type of situation. Given the proof and the strength of their case,

05:27it's important that you are able to look at the police reports and seek legal guidance on this.

05:34You may want to do the third option, which is to come back within 30 to 45 days to consider your

05:42options or grab an attorney. In this segment, we're going to learn about the potential outcomes,

05:48like moving to pretrial bail requirements and the implications of a guilty plea.

05:54If you plea guilty on your case, then there will be penalties. Depending on the type of case you

05:59have, you may end up with either formal probation or probation or some type of diversion in between.

06:09On top of that, probation is either five or three years. It depends on the type of case.

06:14If this is a second DUI, you may be looking at five years. If this is a first DUI, you're looking

06:18at three years. If this is some kind of child abuse case, you're looking at four years of

06:22probation. On top of that, sometimes probation involves formal probation as well. There's two

06:28types of probation. There's formal and there's informal. In addition to this, and when you're

06:33looking at bail requirements on your first date in court, these typically apply to domestic violence

06:39cases and second DUIs and anything above. When it comes to this, that means the court will want

06:47to take you into custody unless you post up some type of bond. The way bond works is that you would

06:53work with a bondsman and they will put up their money while you pay a premium. As this happens,

07:00you're able to move the case to pretrial. Pretrial is basically a fancy way to say negotiations.

07:07It is a way to talk more about the case and to see how it unfolds. The importance of legal

07:13representation. We'll discuss why having an attorney is vital and how to request a public

07:17defender if you can't afford private counsel. Not everybody can afford private counsel. It is

07:24expensive and a drain on the resources. However, the benefits far exceed the cost. If you get the

07:32counsel that knows what they're doing and can take you in and out of the court system. However,

07:38if you qualify, you should request the services of a public defender. Public defenders are the

07:45best lawyers in the courtroom. Nobody knows the courthouse more than them. If you qualify,

07:53you should request a public defender and the court will have you fill out a financial declaration

08:01form. I will leave a link below for the forms. It's vital to have an attorney on this to know

08:08whether or not a prosecutor is trying to pull a fast one on you or not. Communicating with the

08:13judge. Sometimes the prosecutor is trying to pull a fast one on you or if they are not giving you

08:20the best offer, you know that they're holding something back. In this section, we're advising

08:26the types of questions you can ask and the importance of understanding the roles of each

08:30courtroom figure. The prosecutor may not always be giving the best offer or it may be a new

08:37prosecutor that's too afraid to do anything at all and we do not want to deal with them anymore

08:42because it's not getting anywhere. If this is the case, we may rely on the judge to resolve the case.

08:49A judge is also another person who if we talk to, we can resolve the case for. However,

08:57a prosecutor can change the charges. The judge cannot. They can determine the sentence.

09:03Navigating bail and release conditions. We'll explore how bill is set. The fact is influencing

09:09bail decisions and the impact of release conditions on your life. It's important to know that when you

09:16are released on bail, you're not just set free. There will be conditions that are put onto you.

09:22If this is, for example, a DUI, then when you are released on bail, you may have to attend AA

09:30meetings or you may have conditions, which means that you cannot drink and drive. On top of that,

09:37if this was a domestic violence case and you are released on bail, you may have conditions as well.

09:42Anger management, for example, and also peaceful contact orders. These are just some of the

09:50release conditions depending on the type of case you have. Adjusting your plea and the importance

09:55of court attendance. Understand how and when you can change your plea and the consequences

10:00of failing to appear at your arraignment. If you do not appear at your arraignments,

10:05or let's say for instance, you just missed it, then assuming that your case is filed,

10:12then that means a warrant will be issued for your arrest. What will happen is that the court will

10:17call your name and if there's nobody to check in for you, the judge will make a note that they

10:23called your name and then you were not there. A bench warrant will be issued for your arrest.

10:29A bench warrant is basically an order from the court to any type of law enforcement officers

10:34to take you into custody. It's important that you attend this first date in court.

10:41As far as adjusting your plea, that is something that's up to you and how you decide

10:47to handle your case. Maybe you got an offer that you can live with. Maybe you trusted the prosecutor

10:53in this case that they're giving you a fair shake. If that's the case, then you may want to change

10:59your plea from a not guilty to guilty. Your first court appearance is a significant step in your

11:04legal journey. Being well prepared and informed can make a substantial difference. Remember, seeking

11:10legal counsel is key. If you're facing an arraignment in Orange County, don't hesitate to reach out for

11:15professional guidance. If you have questions, give us a call or leave a comment below. On the other

11:24hand, if you don't want to put your dirty laundry out there for the world to see, you're also

11:28welcome to scratch that. On the other hand, if you don't want to put your dirty laundry out

11:32there for the world to see, you're welcome to use the make an appointment button or give us a call.

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