Alhambra Criminal Defense Lawyer

Alhambra Criminal Defense Lawyer

You opened a notice from the Los Angeles County Superior Court telling you to appear at the Alhambra Courthouse at 150 West Commonwealth Avenue. The notice lists a criminal charge—maybe assault, theft, DUI, drug possession—along with an arraignment date and a warning that failure to appear will result in a warrant. You need to understand what happens at that courthouse, how the Los Angeles County criminal justice system works for cases in Alhambra, and why you need experienced criminal defense counsel who practices regularly in that specific location.

Thanks for visiting Spodek Law Group. We’re a second-generation criminal defense firm managed by Todd Spodek, with over 40 years of combined experience defending clients facing criminal charges. When you’re facing charges in Alhambra, you need attorneys who understand that the Alhambra Courthouse operates under specific procedures, that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes aggressively, and that decisions made at your first court appearance affect your entire case trajectory. Constitutional protections matter most when you’re most unpopular—and that principle applies just as much in local courthouses like Alhambra as it does in high-profile cases.

What Happens at Your Arraignment

The Alhambra Courthouse is located at 150 West Commonwealth Avenue, Alhambra, CA 91801. It’s part of the Los Angeles County Superior Court—Northeast District, and it handles criminal cases from Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, and Temple City. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:15am to 4:30pm. If you need to contact the criminal intake office, call (626) 308-5525.

Your arraignment is your first court appearance. This is where the judge formally reads the charges against you, addresses whether you’ll wait for trial in custody or at home, and sets bail if necessary. If you’re a first-time offender charged with a less serious offense, the judge may release you on your own recognizance—meaning you sign a promise to return for future court dates without posting cash bail. If the charge is more serious or if you have prior convictions, the judge may set bail at thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

Your defense attorney receives critical paperwork at arraignment: the complaint listing formal charges, police reports describing what officers claim happened, witness statements, and any videos or physical evidence the prosecution plans to use. This paperwork isn’t just bureaucratic—it’s the foundation of your defense. Understanding what evidence exists, what witnesses the prosecution has, and what legal weaknesses exist in their case starts at arraignment. The California Courts system requires prosecutors to provide this information early, but understanding what it means and how to challenge it requires experienced counsel.

The Numbers Don’t Lie About How Cases Actually Resolve

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office staffs the Alhambra Courthouse with deputy district attorneys who handle criminal prosecutions—these prosecutors make plea offers, argue bail motions, and decide whether to take cases to trial, and understanding how they think, what pressures they face, and what outcomes they’re willing to accept matters enormously because most criminal cases in Alhambra stay in the arraignment court during the plea negotiation phase where prosecutors and defense attorneys negotiate while cases are continued every few weeks. The numbers tell the story: only 2% of California felony cases go to trial, which means 98% of cases resolve before trial through plea negotiations, dismissals, or diversions, and of the cases that resolve before trial, 70% result in felony convictions, 13% result in misdemeanor convictions, and 17% are dismissed, transferred, or result in acquittal—these numbers mean that negotiation skills matter as much as trial skills, maybe more, since 98% of cases never reach a jury. That doesn’t mean trial experience is irrelevant because prosecutors know which defense attorneys have actually tried cases and which ones fold under pressure, and if your attorney has never picked a jury, never cross-examined a police officer, never argued a motion to suppress evidence before a judge, prosecutors smell weakness—but the reality is that most criminal cases resolve through negotiation because the risks of trial are enormous for both sides since jurors are unpredictable, witnesses change their stories, evidence gets excluded, and both prosecutors and defense attorneys understand that certainty, even a certainty you don’t love, is often better than gambling everything on twelve strangers from the local community. If your case can’t be resolved through negotiation, you’re entitled to a jury trial where your defense attorney can file motions to suppress evidence obtained through illegal searches, challenge police stops without probable cause, contest witness identifications, and argue other legal issues, and the Alhambra judge decides these pre-trial motions before the case proceeds to trial where jury members are selected from the Alhambra community—people who live in Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, or Temple City—who hear testimony, review evidence, and decide whether the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes thousands of criminal cases every year with institutional resources—investigators, expert witnesses, forensic labs—that far exceed what most individual defendants can afford on their own, and that significant resource imbalance makes experienced defense counsel absolutely essential.

Why Local Knowledge Matters

Judges, prosecutors, and court staff at the Alhambra Courthouse are specific people with specific tendencies. Some judges are more willing to suppress evidence when police violate constitutional rights. Some judges set bail high almost automatically. Some prosecutors are reasonable and willing to reduce charges when the evidence is weak. Others fight every case to the bitter end.

Todd Spodek is a second-generation criminal defense attorney who learned the craft from his father. He graduated from Northeastern University with a criminal justice major and from Pace University School of Law, and he’s handled thousands of criminal cases throughout his career. The firm has represented clients in high-profile cases that attracted intense media scrutiny—including representing Anna Delvey in a grand larceny case that became a Netflix series. That experience demonstrates the firm’s ability to defend clients when public opinion runs heavily against them. Constitutional protections matter most when you’re most unpopular, and that principle applies whether you’re facing federal charges or a misdemeanor in Alhambra. The firm has been featured in the New York Post, Newsweek, Fox 5 New York, Business Insider, Bloomberg, and the South China Morning Post, showing its capability under public scrutiny. Understanding the California criminal court process and combining that with experience in high-stakes cases creates a defense approach grounded in both local knowledge and broader strategic thinking.

Questions People Ask

What is the hardest crime to defend? Cases with strong physical evidence—DNA, video footage, recorded confessions—are harder to defend than cases built on witness testimony alone. But even cases with strong physical evidence have defenses: How was the evidence obtained? Was there a constitutional violation? Does the evidence actually prove the charge? The “hardest” cases are often those where defendants made detailed statements to police before speaking with counsel, because those statements get used against them at trial.

What is the difference between a criminal lawyer and a defense attorney? There’s no meaningful difference. Both terms describe attorneys who represent people accused of crimes. Some attorneys call themselves “criminal defense lawyers,” others “criminal defense attorneys,” and some just say “defense lawyers.” The label matters less than the attorney’s experience handling cases in the courthouse where your case is pending.

How much do the criminal lawyers cost? Legal fees for criminal defense vary enormously depending on the severity of charges, the complexity of the case, and whether the case goes to trial. Misdemeanor cases might cost $2,500 to $10,000. Serious felonies can cost $25,000 to $100,000 or more if the case goes to trial. Flat fees are common for straightforward cases, while hourly billing is more common for complex cases. The critical question isn’t just cost—it’s value. An experienced attorney who gets charges reduced or dismissed provides value that far exceeds the fee.

Who pays criminal defense lawyers? Defendants pay their own attorneys in most cases. If you can’t afford an attorney, the court appoints a public defender or panel attorney at no cost, but you have no choice over who represents you. Many defendants hire private counsel because they want to choose their attorney, want counsel who has time to focus on their case, and want counsel who isn’t juggling 100 other cases simultaneously.

If you’ve received a notice to appear at the Alhambra Courthouse at 150 West Commonwealth Avenue, if you’re facing criminal charges in Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, or Temple City, or if you need counsel who’s defended cases at this specific courthouse, call us. Spodek Law Group is available 24/7. Call 212-300-5196.