Kaufman County Attorney Bonds

We get asked a lot about attorney bonds in Kaufman County.  First, let’s talk about-

What is an attorney bond?

You know how someone is stuck in jail and they have to post a bond to get out? Well, they have a few choices. Let’s say Bill is in the Kaufman County jail on a $5,000 bond for possession of meth. Bill can pay $5,000 cash (a cash bond), hire a bond company (bail bondsman) and pay them a % (varies), or get an attorney to post bond (and usually hire them on the case as well).

Why do attorneys post bonds for clients in Kaufman County?

It’s usually because the lawyer has a previous relationship with the client. The lawyer needs to trust the client is going to show up after all, or the lawyer is on the hook for the bond amount.

Another reason is that sometimes defense clients can’t afford both a lawyer and a bondsman. There are some cases where the bond fee is more than the legal fees. A $100,000 bond on a motion to revoke for example. If you aren’t familiar with Kaufman County we set crazy high bonds here. Much higher bonds than in our neighbor to the west, Dallas County.

Most defense lawyers don’t like handling bonds for defense clients because it creates a potential issue. If your defense lawyer thinks you aren’t going to show up for court, or you aren’t going to check-in, then your attorney has to file to go off your bond (ATGOB), and no defense lawyer wants to have their client arrested. We didn’t get into this job to put people in jail after all.

Do we offer attorney bonds? We get this question a lot. We have done very few before, and going forward we might consider it again. We don’t do attorney bonds for routine misdemeanors etc. We don’t want to become Dog the Bounty Hunter chasing down clients who don’t show up for their weed case (yes weed cases are still a thing here).

You should know that recently the County has made it more difficult for lawyers to post attorney bonds in Kaufman County. So it’s possible very few lawyers will continue to post bonds for clients now that there are more stringent financial requirements. Also whatever lawyer posts your bond is on the case, they have to file a representation letter. So if you have your uncle’s business lawyer in Houston make your attorney bond here, then he’s defending your case in Kaufman County.

If you have a friend or loved one trapped in the Kaufman County jail call us and we can help. If the bond is too high one option is to file a motion (or writ) to reduce bail. The downside is that takes time and most people want out immediately. We might consider going on the bond, but if not, we can help you find a bond company that is on the Kaufman County bail bond board.

We always offer free consultations for Kaufman County criminal cases, and we have a team of defense lawyers ready to help.