The Fontana Courthouse is situated in San Bernardino County and it handles cases ranging from simple misdemeanors up to crimes involving heinous cases. In this court you can either be represented by a lawyer or by yourself in certain cases. Having legal representation in court is however recommended as you may not know what specific rights and duties that you may have.
The courthouse was established in 1957 and it had a two-level building located at the corner of Arrow Highway and Alder Avenue in order to accommodate the then smaller population in the area. It also provided for free legal services for those who cannot pay for a lawyer who will represent them in court. In this court, you will need to be punctual with your court dates. In the case of a simple traffic ticket, you will still have to be in your best behavior when appearing in this court. Fontana courthouse is known for having very strict judges in traffic court so even simple matters like driving without a license or driving on a suspended license could mean jail time.
The judge will be the one to ultimately decide what will happen in your case and your driving record or criminal history will be an important factor in your case. You can either be sentenced to jail or you may only have to pay a fine and do driving school. There are however, certain types of cases which do not require the presence of the defendant such as those which involve small infractions or misdemeanors. We can appear on your behalf pursuant to Penal Code 977(a) and reduce the risk of you going into jail. Felonies on the other hand, require court appearance and punctuality is a very important factor in this type of case. On a felony you need to be present with or without a lawyer, although you know which option will work best.
If you are in any way involved in a case which requires you to appear at the Fontana Courthouse, the first step that you should take is to find a competent lawyer who will represent you. A traffic ticket in itself can cost you your employment and possible jail time without competent legal help. Ordinary people do not usually know that even the smallest bit of negligence can cost them a lot in the future or they may not know about possible remedies that they can employ in order to get a lighter penalty from the court. If you decide to represent yourself in court, you may end up getting bigger fines and longer suspensions due to some unwise decisions. Aside from this, law even as simple as traffic laws, can be a very complicated mess especially if you are not knowledgeable about them.
Give us a call today for a free consult if you have a case at the Fontana courthouse to see if it would make sense to have one of our lawyers appear on your behalf. If you have a felony case, ask to speak directly with Mr. Gallagher so that he can appear with you in court.
