COURT & COUNSEL

Court dates & legal help

Match the booking to the court case, find the assigned lawyer and know which office can answer your question.

01Find the case number.
02Confirm the hearing and courtroom.
03Contact the assigned lawyer.

A booking number and a case number do different jobs

Start with the current LASD booking record. Save the name exactly as booked, date of birth, booking number, case number if shown, and the next court information. A recent arrest may not yet have a filed case available online.

LASD booking number

Identifies the custody record. Use it for housing, jail calls, mail, deposits and release questions.

Court case number

Identifies a filed court case. Use it for hearing dates, courtroom information and the attorney’s office. One person may have several cases.

Look up the hearing

If you have a case number, open the court’s Criminal Case Summary. Enter the number exactly and review the hearing history and future settings.
If you only have a name, use the court’s Criminal Defendant Index to find the case number. Review any search fee before submitting a paid lookup.
Record the date, time, courthouse, department and hearing type. Do not assume every Los Angeles criminal case is heard downtown.
Confirm a changed or unclear setting with the assigned lawyer or the criminal clerk at the named courthouse. The court warns that online summaries are not the official court record.

Open Criminal Case Summary Search the Criminal Defendant Index

Find the person’s lawyer

A court-appointed lawyer represents the person charged. If a Public Defender has been assigned, contact the branch serving the courthouse and ask for the assigned attorney. A conflict may require another appointed office or counsel; the court record or clerk can identify that assignment.

Leave your name and callback number, the person’s full name, case and booking numbers, and the next hearing date. Put time-sensitive concerns first. The lawyer may receive useful information from you but may not be able to discuss confidential details without the client’s permission.

Public Defender · central office: (213) 974-2811
Central office address: 210 W. Temple Street, 19th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Before attending court

Use the courthouse and department on the current case record. Allow time for parking and security screening.
Ask the attorney or clerk about attendance, interpreter needs, accessibility and any remote appearance instructions. A jail video-visit account is not a court appearance account.
Save the next date and any written orders after the hearing. Do not change reporting or no-contact arrangements based only on what another visitor says.

Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center: 210 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Courthouse main information: (213) 628-7700
Building Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–5 p.m.; clerk 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., excluding court holidays.

A hearing is one step in the case

At arraignment, the court addresses the charges, representation, a plea and release conditions. Later settings may include a preliminary hearing, pretrial proceedings, trial or sentencing, depending on the case. A hearing date does not guarantee a trial or a release. Ask the lawyer what is scheduled and what the family can usefully prepare.

Understand bail and release

YOUR NEXT STEP

Confirm their current facility.

Choose a facility above to keep it at hand as you move through the guides.

View facility information

Sources & review

Reviewed 2026-09-25. Live records, appointments and transactions are handled by the responsible agency or provider.

Review dates & unresolved details