Local Criminal Defense
“Local” criminal defense cases are those that are filed in the “local” Washington state courts, or courts of limited jurisdiction. In these courts, the criminal jurisdiction (or the power of the court to act) is generally limited to handling misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors (see our Misdemeanor Practice Area description). These courts include city courts—for example, Seattle Municipal Court, Bellevue Municipal Court, Bainbridge Island Municipal Court, East Wenatchee Municipal Court—in which city criminal code violations are prosecuted by city prosecutors, and also state district courts—for example, King County District Court, Snohomish County District Court, Chelan County District Court—in which misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors defined by state statute are prosecuted by county-level prosecutors representing the State of Washington.
We have substantial experience in these types of courts and will handle cases in them throughout the state.