• What to Do When...
• Charged with a Crime
• My Child was Arrested
• Detective is Calling
• Somebody is in Jail
• Federal Agent Stopped by
• Search Warrant
• File an Appeal

What Should you Do Now?

1) On average, it takes 4 – 6 hours for the Sheriff to release somebody from jail once the judge signs the bond and the lawyer turns the bond into Central Booking. This does not count the time for the client to be booked into jail by the police. This also does not count the time that it takes for the lawyer to interview the client, gather the background checks, fill out the bond paperwork, and meet with the judge. Please be aware that the person will likely be in custody for a minimum of 6 hours before he or she can be released.

2) Contact friends or family to make childcare arrangements if they are expected to be picked up from school;

3) Contact the person’s employer to let them know of an absence at work due to a personal emergency;

4) If the person was driving, find out where his or her car is impounded. Most vehicles are held at Southside Wrecker Inc, who is the towing contractor for the Austin Police Department. Southside Wrecker is located near Ben White and I-35 at 4308 Terry-O-Lane. Their telephone number is 512.280.8396.

5) Tell them not to speak to anybody about the case and to say nothing more than “I want a lawyer.”

Set-Up an Appointment

When you call, notify us immediately that you need to get someone out of jail. This helps our office prioritize your call as an emergency and handle the case as quickly as possible. Please have the following information available so we can be of better help to you during our telephone conversation:

1) Name and date of birth of the person arrested 2) When person was arrested 3) Their employment or education history 4) Your relationship to the person in jail 5) Which jail they called you from 6) What they were arrested for [if you don’t have it, we can look it up] 7) Bond amount [if you don’t have it, we can look it up]

After getting this information, we may need to make some follow-up phone calls to ascertain the bond amount and calculate the cost of doing the jail release. Once we can quote the fee for the release, we will either take payment by credit card over the phone, or make other payment arrangements with you.

Our office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and we can be reached during these hours at (512) 381-9955. For after-hour emergencies (e.g., getting someone out of jail) please call (512) 536-1374.

In some situations, a portion of the amount paid toward a jail release may be credited toward legal fees if we are later hired to handle the criminal case. For answers to frequently asked questions about legal fees, retainers, consultations, etc., click here.