How to choose a criminal defense attorney in Sacramento.
If you are looking for a Sacramento criminal defense law firm, start with the question that matters most: who will actually be handling your case? I am Chris Parkhurst, Esq. I have defended criminal cases in Sacramento County since 1999, and my State Bar number is 203402. You work with us directly rather than with an intake team or a call center.
What that means in practice is straightforward. I read your file before I tell you what I think of it, I explain what it actually supports, and I give you the realistic range of outcomes rather than the encouraging end of it. For the detail on the charge itself, see criminal defense. To find out what happens next in your case, call.
Where a Sacramento case is heard.
Sacramento is the Sacramento County seat, so the court that hears your case is here rather than somewhere else. That is unusual in this county and it is the one thing that makes a Sacramento case simpler than most.
Your case is filed by the Sacramento County District Attorney and heard at the Sacramento County Superior Court. How that office charges cases, what it does with diversion, and what happens between arrest and arraignment are set at county level rather than city level. I have set all of that out on the Sacramento County page.
Who arrested you, and where it happened.
Sacramento Police Department. 5770 Freeport Blvd #200, Sacramento, CA 95822. (916) 808-5471.
- Sacramento County Sheriff. the unincorporated county surrounding the city, and the Main Jail where people are booked.
- California Highway Patrol. Interstate 5, Highway 50, Interstate 80 and Highway 99, which all meet in or beside the city.
- Sacramento Regional Transit police. the light rail system and the stations along it.
- Sacramento State and UC Davis Medical Center forces. their respective campuses, each with its own jurisdiction.
Sacramento is the largest city in the region and the county seat, so both the volume of cases and the machinery that handles them are concentrated here. Four major routes meet in or beside the city, and the CHP writes a large share of the traffic reports as a result. Midtown and the K Street corridor produce most of the late-night calls, the light rail system has its own transit police, and two campuses add their own forces. Which of those agencies made the arrest is the first thing worth establishing, because they do not keep records the same way.
What I defend in Sacramento.
I defend the full range of charges arising out of Sacramento. If you are looking specifically for representation on a criminal charge here, there is a fuller page at Sacramento criminal defense attorney.
- DUI in Sacramento. Four major routes meet here, and the DMV clock starts the day of the arrest regardless of which one you were on.
- Criminal defense in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Domestic violence in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Violent crimes in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Drug crimes. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Theft and property in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Weapons charges in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Sex crimes in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Homicide in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
- White collar in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Juvenile defense. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Licence and DMV. Defended across Sacramento County.
- Expungement in Sacramento. Defended across Sacramento County.
If your charge is not listed, call me. I defend all criminal charges in Sacramento County, and working out what you are actually facing is the first useful thing that happens.
Why Sacramento clients call me.
I know Sacramento County's courts
Sacramento is the county seat, so the criminal courts and the District Attorney's office are both in the city, minutes from my office. I have been appearing in them since 1999.
I know the agencies that make arrests here
Sacramento PD, the Sheriff, the CHP, transit police and two campus forces all operate within the city or against its edges. Each keeps records differently, and which one wrote yours determines what I ask for and how quickly.
Getting to me from Sacramento
The office is at 701 E Street downtown, in the court district itself. If Roseville is closer, I keep a second office there.
Whether hiring an attorney is worth it depends on what you are facing. On a first misdemeanour with no record, there are people who reasonably handle it themselves. Where there is a felony, a prior, a professional licence or an immigration question, the consequences compound in ways that are difficult to undo. Call me and I will tell you honestly which situation you are in, and what representation would cost.
Where to find me in Sacramento.
701 E Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Telephone (916) 277-8299.
The office is in the downtown court district, which is deliberate. Sacramento County's criminal courts, the District Attorney's office and the Main Jail are all within a short walk or a short drive, so an appearance, a filing and a meeting can happen on the same morning rather than across three.
Bring your citation or release paperwork. It carries the date, the court and the counts as filed, and those three things determine most of what we will talk about. If a protective order has been issued, bring that too.
If Roseville is closer for you, I keep a second office there. See Roseville.
Areas I serve around Sacramento.
Sacramento is large, and the city boundary meets unincorporated county on several sides.
- Downtown and the court district. where the courts, the District Attorney's office, the Main Jail and my office all sit.
- Midtown and the K Street corridor. the main bar and restaurant district, and the source of most late-night arrests.
- Oak Park and Land Park. residential neighbourhoods south of the centre, policed by Sacramento PD.
- Natomas and North Sacramento. north of the river, with the Interstate 5 and Interstate 80 corridors running through.
- Arden-Arcade and the unincorporated ring. Sheriff territory rather than city police, and the boundary is not obvious.
Nearby, I also cover Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, West Sacramento.
Sacramento covers ZIP codes 95816 and 95826, with a population of around 538,753. If you were stopped near Old Sacramento Waterfront, Stanford Mansion or Sutter's Fort State Historic Park, or anywhere on the through-roads, that is the ground this page covers. Tell me the cross street when you call — where exactly you were stopped decides which agency wrote the report, and sometimes which county files the case.
What a conviction can cost.
Which of these apply depends on the charge and on your record, not on the city you were arrested in.
- Custody. County jail or state prison, depending on the offence and whether it is charged as a misdemeanour or a felony.
- Probation conditions. Programmes, testing, search terms and reporting, often for years.
- A permanent record. Public and searchable, and it appears in background checks long after the sentence ends.
- Professional licensing. Boards reach their own conclusions, on their own timelines, independently of the court.
- Firearm rights. A lifetime prohibition on a felony, and a ten-year one on several misdemeanours.
- Immigration. Some convictions carry consequences far more serious than the sentence. This needs looking at before a plea.
- Employment and housing. The consequence most people feel longest, and the one discussed least in court.
What your exposure actually is depends on the count charged. That is a conversation, not a webpage.
Sacramento questions I hear most.
Where is your Sacramento office?
701 E Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, in the downtown court district. Sacramento County's criminal courts, the District Attorney's office and the Main Jail are all close by, which is the reason for the location. Telephone (916) 277-8299.
What should I bring to a first meeting?
Your citation or release paperwork, which carries the date, the court and the counts as filed. If a protective order has been issued, bring that as well. If you hold a professional licence or are not a citizen, say so, because both change what an acceptable resolution looks like.
Which agency arrested me, and does it matter?
It matters. Sacramento Police, the Sacramento County Sheriff, the CHP, transit police and the campus forces all operate here, and they keep records and footage on different systems and different retention schedules. Establishing which one it was is the first practical step.
Is my case heard in Sacramento?
If the arrest happened in Sacramento County, yes. Sacramento is the county seat, so the criminal courts and the District Attorney's office are here. Note that West Sacramento is across the river in Yolo County and is heard in Woodland instead. See Sacramento County and West Sacramento.
Do you have another office?
Yes, in Roseville at 970 Reserve Dr. #116, which is closer for clients in Placer County and the northern suburbs. See Roseville.
What does a criminal defence lawyer cost?
It depends on the charge, whether it is a misdemeanour or a felony, and whether the case is likely to resolve or be tried. Call and I will tell you what representation in your situation would cost before you commit to anything. For the general picture, see what a criminal defence lawyer costs in California.
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