Jail Releases

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Fast Jail Releases

If you have a loved one or friend in jail, they are worried about one thing: how quickly can he or she get out of jail. We understand that. Keates Law Firm acts fast to visit the person in jail, and get the court documents signed quickly, to minimize jailtime.

We do offer 24 hour jail releases, and if Robert can't personally get to the jail, we have other attorneys who can get it done -- and if not, we'll let you know and refer you to another attorney. We are upfront and honest about jail releases and timetables, because getting out of jail quickly is so important.

How it Works

Every law firm handles jail releases differently, so knowing the difference when deciding who to hire can be key. Call us for more details, but generally, here's what we do:

• You Contact Us to review charges, bonds, and pricing;
• Once hired, we visit the person in jail;
• We then talk to Judge about a Personal Bond (PR Bond);
• We file the bond with bonding and jail, and the person is released;
• We then handle the case;

Pricing

Pricing varies, depending on the cases, whether it's a felony or misdemeanor, and whether there are multiple cases, history of similar cases, and prior bond forfeitures.

As a general guideline, the attorney Jail Release fee is 8%-10% of the bond amount, and goes toward the representation on the case. It's essentially the deposit.

Are Jail Releases better than Posting Bail?

Bail bond companies are great, but they charge a percentage of the bond for their fee -- and you don't get it back. When you go through an attorney for a jail release, the money you pay for the jail release is actually a deposit on representation. That means you're paying one fee to hire an attorney and also to get out of jail.

Need an example? Let's say you have a $5,000 bond for a case. A bail bond company would likely charge you 10%, which is $500. You pay them, and you get out of jail. Then, you have to go hire an attorney, and pay the attorney. Contrast that with using an Austin Attorney for a jail release. On that same $5,000 bond, an attorney would charge you a jail release fee. But that fee also doubles as a deposit on representation. So you've just gotten out of jail and hired an attorney for the same price.

Time Sensitive Legal Defenses

Sometimes, there are time sensitive issues with defenses -- and a person stuck in jail can be detrimental to a case. For instance, a person arrested for DWI only has 15 days to request a license hearing. That's tough to do while in jail. Likewise, there are video cameras set up all over downtown Austin. But the videos are only kept for roughly 7 days. If they are not requested, they are overwritten or destroyed. It's important to get out of jail and begin working on the case.

Hiring Attorney for Case, not just Jail Release

First, it's important to understand that attorneys are not permitted to ONLY perform a Jail Release. In other words, you cannot hire an attorney to get someone out of jail by paying a one time fee. You must hire an attorney, pay the deposit (which includes the jail release fee) and then that attorney represents the person on the case itself.

Legislative Update 2021: Senate Bill 6 Passed. Senate Bill 6, passed in the legislature in 2021, drastically altered the availability of personal bonds in the criminal justice system. As a reminder, a personal bond is a release from jail by the court without needing to pay for it. Senate Bill 6, specifically Art. A17.027, mainly prohibits a new Judge from releasing a person on a personal bond if that person was re-arrested while out on bond for certain offenses. In other words, a situation where a person was already released on bond, and that case is still pending -- and then they are arrested on a new (usually violent) charge. In that situation, the original Judge (the one presiding over the first arrest) has control over personal bonds, to an extent. This is a newly evolving statute and law, and only certain offenses apply, so call us if you or your loved one has been either re-arrested or has a warrant while already on bond with a pending case.

How We Can Help

The Keates Law Firm has over 16+ Years Experience handling criminal defense cases. Our focus is to try and have the case dismissed against you. We don't even discuss pleas until all legal and negotiation options have been explored in detail.

Here are some of the benefits of hiring Keates Law Firm:

• Direct Access to Attorney's Email and Cell (Texting Okay!)
• Trusted, Local, BBB+
• Free Case Consultations
• Payment Plans available
• Transparent Fees - No Unexpected Fees!
• Robert handles your case, not a junior lawyer
• Proven Results, Recent Not Guilties and Dismissals

Frequently Asked Questions