Blog - Bail Man Bail Bonds

What to Expect When You Work With a Trustworthy Bail Bondsman

June 5, 2018 by thehoth

The noise a cell door makes as it locks is one of the most gut-wrenching sounds. It’s the sound of lost freedom, and possibly a lost job, and a forfeited family. Panic sets in.

You’ll be stuck in jail for a while. A few hours if you are lucky. The court will set a bail amount (unless they have a good reason not to). This money held by the court until you show up for trial. Come up with this amount and you walk free.

This is extra time to prepare your case, go to work and hug your family before you must appear in court. Unless you happen to have a whole lot of cash to give the court, you need a trustworthy bail bondsman to get you out.

Read on to learn more.

Why Do I Need a Bail Bondsman?

If the court has set a bail amount, you have two options. You may pay the amount and walk free until your court date or you may sit in jail until then. You pay your bail by surrendering cash immediately to the court.

If you and your family have cash available, be prepared to prove all the funds were legally obtained. As this amount can range from $20,000 to $5,000,000 in California, the burden of proof can take some time. If there is any suspicion that the money comes from suspicious sources, the bail can be rejected.

Even if you have cash in hand, you may want to use a bail agent to walk you through the process. Using a bail bondsman also means that the money will not require close scrutiny.

Choose your bail bondsman carefully. The bond company is ultimately responsible for you showing up to court.

What If I don’t have $20,000 in Cash Sitting Around?

The other cash payment option is to post a bond through a bail bonds agent. In this case, you or your family will pay no more than 10% of the bail amount to the agent. Your bail bondsman will then guarantee the court you will return for trial and secure your release from jail.

The bail bondsman is like an insurance agent. The fee you pay to him is for assessing the risk and taking the chances with the court that you will show up for trial.

Many people pay much less than 10%. Different factors determine less risk. For example, people represented by lawyers might get a discount, or certain professions like police officers might pay less than 10%

How Fast Can I Get Out?

The most experienced bail bondsmen have long experience with the local jails. They know the system and the people and can get you out in a matter of hours after the bail amount is set.

To speed the process, you and your family must provide proof of assets or collateral equal to the full bail amount to the bail bonds agent. The agent will determine a nonrefundable fee (no more than 10% in California.)

Collateral is something you offer to forfeit (cash, property or something of value) in case the defendant fails to show up in court.

You or your family and friends enter into a contract with the bail agent. You all promise that you, the defendant, will make all court appearances until the court legally declares that the case is done.

What is the Process?

You can expect a trustworthy bail agent to walk you through the whole process with professional courtesy and compassion. The process of getting a bond posted sounds long and complicated, but you will have someone helping you the whole way.

Give your agent the full name and date of birth for the person in jail. Let them know which jail. The bail bonds agent will research the booking information. This is the booking number, bond amount, charges, and court date.

The bondsman will briefly explain cosigners and gather some basic information. If you are providing a cash bond this talk will not involve co-signers. Your agent will pre-qualify you for a bond. Be aware that final cost is determined by considering co-signers, collateral and down payment.

Your co-signers fill out their information and enter into a contract with the bail bondsman. Many of these forms are online or emailed for speedy completion. Your bondsman reviews the application and finalizes a price. You and your co-signers must deposit that amount. The approval should be very fast on most bonds.

Immediate Payment and Results

Payment can usually be made in several forms. Cash can be delivered, credit and debit cards are usually accepted over the phone, bank transfers completed online. Once payment has been made to the bondsman, the bond will be posted with the court.

In the case of most California jails, that means as little as 30 minutes, up to several hours if it is a busy holiday weekend.

The Contract

You can expect your bail bondsman to review these terms carefully with you. They assess risk and have the right to surrender you at any time to the court. Their money will not be returned unless you go to a hearing in court and win it back.

Everyone, including your family and friends co-signers, has an interest in getting you to court. All are legally bound by the bail contract to get you to court.

Put It All Together

Bailman Bail Bonds is your one-stop, professional and trustworthy bail bondsman. With 15 years experience and 24/7 support, you can count on fast and efficient support.

A courteous and compassionate customer service agent is available to answer questions and walk you through the process of getting a loved one out of jail quickly. Different payment options and fees offer you flexibility.

For more information contact us today. For fastest service, call (866) 945-2245 now.

How to Post Bail After You’ve Been Arrested

May 5, 2018 by thehoth

Just because you’ve been arrested, it doesn’t make you a criminal. You haven’t been convicted of a crime yet. This means that you don’t have to sit in jail awaiting your trial.

Unless there are extreme circumstances, you will have a certain amount of bail set. This is done by a judge at a bail hearing.

Sometimes the bail hearing process is automatic. With other types of crimes, you may have to submit a request for the hearing.

The amount of bail will probably be paid with a bond. This assures the court that you will appear for your set date(s.)

We’re going to take a look at how to post bail and bond out of jail, determine how much a bail bond is, and if you can bail yourself out of jail (and not have to wait on friends or family.)

Keep reading for some helpful information on what is considered by many to be one of the worst days of their lives.

Bail Hearings

If your bail is not set by a judge quickly, you may have to request for a bail hearing. This is one of many possible hearings but will determine your immediate freedom.

In California, every county has their own bail schedule. Meaning that common crimes from misdemeanors to felonies have a certain amount of bail associated with them.

The good news for you is that amount is ultimately determined by the judge. For a minor charge or a first offense, he may show mercy and set a low bail amount.

The last option at a bail hearing is no bail. The judge has every right to decline release if he feels you are a threat to society or a flight risk.

How to Post Bail: General Jail Bonds

Getting a jail bond is a relatively simple process. However, you should be sure that your bail bondsman is legitimate and licensed.

In most people’s experience, hiring a bail bondsman recommended by an attorney is the best way to go. This is because the bondsman has a reputation to uphold with the referral source in order to keep getting new business from them.

When choosing a bail bondsman, you’ll want to find the one with the best experience. Experience often comes with a price but is worth it when talking about your freedom.

This doesn’t mean a bail bondsman will clean your wallet out. In fact, there are many companies that are very affordable.

With the combination of experience and affordability, you can’t go wrong. Affordable bail bondsmen will sometimes be the ones all of the inmates talk about. Sometimes, you have to do a bit of digging.

Other Information

A bail bondsman is acting as a third party insurance. This means they are making sure you appear in court because they’re the ones buying your freedom for the time.

As long as you show up to court when you’re supposed to, you probably won’t have many more dealings with the company.

Most bail bondsmen charge a slight fee for their services. It usually isn’t a whole lot, but it does vary. It is somewhat like paying a premium for your “get out of jail” card.

While looking for a bail bondsman, cheaper does not always equal better. A company charging an extremely low rate may be operating illegally or have other issues. If you find a company wanting an outrageously low amount of money, RUN.

All of the money paid to a bail bondsman is non-refundable. However, you will have your freedom until your trial. Given you’re not sentenced to jail, you will keep your liberty and not have to worry about any more time behind bars.

There are many fears about having to report your whereabouts to your bail bondsman or having to make other commitments to keep your freedom. For minor crimes, it’s often a non-issue that doesn’t even come up.

One of the oddball requirements for a bond might be having to put a breathalyzer in your car after being arrested for multiple DUIs. Other than that, the requirements aren’t many nor hard to meet.

When you have a failure to appear in court, the judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest. At this point, you may have the arresting agency looking for you, marshals (city or federal) looking for you, and the bail bondsman looking for you.

One of the best parts of using a bail bondsman is they will not only speed up your release but also aid in the paperwork you will need to file.

Getting Out of Jail (not) Free

You’ve probably noticed a common theme here: getting out of jail is not free.

If you or a loved one has landed in jail, obviously steps should be taken to get out. Regardless of whether the incarcerated person is found guilty, sitting in jail is NOT fun.

A few people keep an attorney on retainer. If that’s you, ask him who he’d recommend to help you bond out of jail. Most people don’t keep attorneys on retainer, so in that case, do some research beforehand, then call (866) 945-2245.

Bail bondsmen with experience in many areas can go a long way in helping to move on from this episode. Often, the best bondsmen are the ones you immediately connect with.

Some bondsmen will treat you like you’re a convicted criminal. Some may act holier than thou. That shouldn’t be the case. Everyone knows the police make mistakes and put people behind bars on a hunch.

Look for someone that treats you like an old friend and understands your situation. This is the true mark of great customer service and we take pride in carrying it through the whole bonding process.

Trying to get out can be scary and the amount of bail intimidating. But figuring out how to post bail won’t be hard if you keep us in mind.

We will give you an estimated release time, and help the release process along. If you end up incarcerated, especially for the first time, it’s a shock being there. Just know, we can help find a way out.

Hopefully, you don’t end up in jail. But if you do, we’re only a call or click away. For quick reference: (866) 945-2245.

7 Tips for Using a Local Bail Bondsman

March 29, 2018 by thehoth

Looking for a local bail bondsman?

When you need a bail bondsman, you don’t want any issues to get in your way. Whether it’s for you or a loved one, you want your bondsman to get the job done fast.

A few tips can help the process go more smoothly. In this guide, we’ll show you the top tips you need to know before working with a local bail bondsman. Keep reading to learn more!

How to Use a Local Bail Bondsman

In most criminal cases, the defendant is given the option to pay bail. This means that the court determines how much money the defendant needs to pay to get out of jail until they have court.

Sometimes, the court sets the bail amount above what the defendant can realistically afford. In these cases, the defendant often hires a bail bondsman to help. A bail bondsman covers most of the bail amount, in exchange for helping make sure the defendant shows up in court.

Types of Bail Bonds

Before you hire a local bail bondsman, it helps to know the kinds of bail bonds that you might be working with.

There are three main kinds of bail bonds. The first is cash bonds, which involves money orders or cash. The second is property bonds. Property bonds use property value or the property itself as the collateral for bail.

Third, there are surety bonds, which are similar to loans. In this type of bond, a bail bondsman pays the court the full amount of the bail. Then, the defendant pays the bail bondsman a percentage of the total amount and gives them their agreement to appear on their court date.

Now, let’s get into some helpful tips you should always use when working with a local bail bondsman.

1. Know How Much Bail You Need

You can find out the total bail amount at the jail. The judge on the case will determine the bail based on how severe the crime was and whether or not the defendant could be a flight risk.

With extremely severe crimes, bail isn’t given at all, but most crimes aren’t considered this severe. For frequently committed crimes, a pre-set bail schedule is used to determine the amount owed.

The sooner you find out how much bail you owe, the sooner you can decide the next steps you need to take. In some cases, the defendant can even ask the judge for a lower bail amount. A lawyer can help you with this.

2. Find Out the Bail Bondsman’s Fee

In each state, the laws determining the fee a bail bondsman can take are different. Most of the time, the fee is about 10 percent. However, commercial bail bondsmen are illegal in some states.

Other states prohibit surety bail bonds, including Wisconsin, Maine, Oregon, Nebraska, Kentucky, and Illinois. If you have questions about bail bondsman fees, ask the court clerk for help.

3. Find the Bail Bondsman

Next, it’s time to find the right bail bondsman to work with. You can search using the phonebook or an online search. You might also find numbers for bail bondsmen at the courthouse.

You should also consider using a bondsman referred by your attorney. Bail bondsmen who work with defense attorneys are likely to do top-quality work. You’ll also often save money with a reduced fee for the bondsman – for example, you might be able to pay 8 percent instead of 10.

It’s always a good idea to hire a criminal defense attorney before your trial, so you might as well hire them before choosing your local bail bondsman. That way, you’ll know that the bondsman you work with has a good reputation since an attorney is willing to vouch for them.

4. Ask Detention Officers

If you’re still not sure which bail bondsman to go with, talk to a detention officer or have your lawyer do it for you. These officers work with a lot of different bail companies, and usually, know which ones are best to work with.

These officers can also help by recommending lowered bail amounts and giving useful advice for court. Make friends with detention officers and you will be rewarded for your efforts with access to their valuable information.

5. Avoid Cheap Bonds

On your search, you’re likely to find some bond companies that offer cheaper fees than others.

It’s tempting to think these cheaper fees will be best, but that’s often not the case. You get what you pay for with bail bondsman, as with anything else.

If you see a company offering fees of 5 percent or even less, they likely aren’t experienced or reputable, which is why they have to offer such low fees to get business. They might even be operating illegally or using false advertising to get clients.

Instead, look for bondsmen or companies that have fees well within the normal range for your state – they are much more likely to be legitimate.

6. Think About Agencies

While looking for the best bail bondsman, you might think about working with an agency. If you do, the company will handle everything you need about your case while keeping your information private.

Agencies can save you a lot of time and stress in the process and tend to have more time to devote to your case since they have more people on staff.

7. Read the Reviews

No matter what, you should always read the online reviews about a local bail bondsman before you hire them.

Online reviews are heavily trusted by modern consumers, for good reason. While some bad reviews are to be expected, look for a bondsman whose reviews are mostly positive.

Do You Need a Local Bail Bondsman?

When you need a bail bondsman, you want the best of the best.

If you’re in the Hollywood area, we can help with your bail needs. Contact us to learn how.