Michael Eric Kraut

About 7 months ago, I was pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence in Glendale. I thought my life was over. As I was sitting in jail, I thought to myself, I'll never have a future..a career. After 14 hours of sitting in jail, I knew I had to hire an attorney to save me! To erase this ...mistake. The search for a lawyer started as soon as I got out. Did I mention I'm not even 21? You can see why I was in such a panic. After hours and hours of searching with my parents, calling here and there, we finally came across Attorney Michael Kraut. My mom called him up, and a meeting was immediately set up. I think that was great, that my whole family was able to meet with him and talk about the possible outcomes of my case. As I mentioned, I'm not 21. Which means that not only did I drink and drive...but that I drank in the first place. I had THREE SEPARATE charges; DUI, DUI Minor, & DUI over the legal limit (I blew over .08) Not only that, but I also went to the hospital the night I was pulled over for a blood test, which shows a much more accurate reading. After telling him about everything that happened, Michael didn't promise anything, he wasn't trying to sell himself. He was very straight forward and honest. So, after an hour and half of talking, we hired him. I'm that type of person who worries and worries, and won't have some relief until I know that everything will be okay. He told me not to, and that he will take care of everything. I was a bit hesitant. I thought, how can a lawyer fix this? I drew blood, I'm under 21, I even blew over the legal limit, and not to mention I was also under the influence of marijuana. All while this was going on, I was in the process of getting promoted to management at my work. Once I got the promotion, they had to run a background check, and lo and behold the DUI showed up, and I was not able to move forward with the promotion. Once that happened, I thought for sure my life was over. If I can't become a manager in retail, what will I do once I have a degree? Who'll ever hire me? This is when this whole thing took a toll on me. I confided in Michael, and he told me that everything will be okay, to just give him some time to work on everything. Every time I emailed him, he'd respond within 5 minutes. When I'd call him, and if he was busy, he'd call back within the hour. He also really cares about his clients, about your well being and how everything is going. My first court date was about a month after I got pulled over, but I didn't even have to show up! I started the semester that same day, and he told me that I don't have to go and he'll take care of it. After extending court twice, I was advised to attend the final court date with him. This freaked me out even more, what would I say to the judge? Michael told me not to even worry and that he'll be next to me and handle everything. The deal we were hoping for was 3 different classes, and 3 years summary probation...which sounded a lot better than the possible jail time, community service, huge amount of fines, etc. I was really hoping for the charges to be reduced, so that I can still have hope for some kind of future, but that didn't look like an option. Before my name was called up in court, Michael took me outside and told me that he spoke to the DA and had the judge reconsider their decision to reduce my charges...and they did! He made the impossible happen!! I was charged with a wet & reckless, which is way better than having a DUI on your record for 10 years. This process is not easy. It's a lot of stress and the consequences are real. But having someone like Michael by your side, really makes everything a lot easier. He really knows what he's doing-he was a Deputy District Attorney, so he knows how the other side works as well, which is why he was able to do what he did despite the facts of my case. Very professional, caring, and a life saver. Because of him, I know that this won't hinder my future goals. Thank you!!

Let Go and Let Kraut. A 3rd DUI and .23 alcohol content? I was terrified. I was pulled over on Hollywood Boulevard for Excessive Honking of the Horn. I had actually never honked my horn and had told the 2 motorcycle cops just that. They could care less. I was arrested and taken to the station and... released an hr later for DUI. Immediately I hired an attorney that I had worked with before and thought how could one lawyer be different from the rest. WOAH! Well turns out in CA, previous DUIs, even from a different state can be tacked on to your existing one if they are within a 10 yr time frame. Any other lawyer would of plea bargained and got me out of there before they had time to research my past. One of the DUIs was from 9 yrs and 10 months ago. I missed the cut off by 2 months. So my lawyer put my case on the back burner , delayed the initial hearings and gave the prosecution time to find out everything. Immediately after he told me I was facing a 3rd time DUI and mandatory minimum of 120 days in jail, I fired him. On to Attorney 2. and I quote "Big Shot(well he thought he was) Beverly Hills DUI Miracle Worker". Made things even worse and pissed off the prosecution so much that they weren't even willing to plea bargain anything, No House Arrest, No Gigantic Fine, Nothing. Fired Him. FYI, you don't get refunds from attorneys. So now this is 8-9 months after my initial arrest. I have no attorney, facing jail time along with a million other punishments, no direction and no hope. If convicted I would lose my company, clients and who knows what else. After all the referrals from colleagues, friends etc. I found Michael Kraut on the internet. I called and he personally answered the phone , which threw me off and immediately I go into a 300 word a minute ramble about everything that has happened. He tells me to "Calm Down" and come in the following day. "Wait, Does he not understand Im facing Jail Time and whats at stake here"? I go into meet Mr. Kraut and he is stern, honest and to the point. In this situation you don't want someone to cuddle you and tell you its gonna be okay. Mr. Kraut is the guy that is gonna know every angle of your case in a day and tell you what to expect to the best of his knowledge. He will prepare you and be honest with you which is the best situation you want to be in, rather than have false hope. The cops had lied initially about me honking the horn. He got the cops on the stand and got the officers totally contradicting their stories. locations, which direction i was heading, duration of the so called "excessive honking" everything. The next day the prosecutor offered a deal which was a better situation then if i had been found guilty in a trial but I declined and went for a dismissal. After the defense testimony and the police officers screwing up their stories, my 3 passengers testifying honestly and saying that there was no honking going on, the judge dismissed the case. There has been few times in my life when I have had complete joy and sense of God giving me another chance and Mr Kraut provided that. If you want an attorney that will tell you how great he is and what he can do for you then go to the yellow pages outside the jail. If you want an attorney to be straight forward with you, prepare you and get you the best possible outcome then definitely hire Mr. Kraut. I owe him a lot and still stop by his office to say thanks and bug him even after the 300 phone calls a day i gave him during this scary period of my life. You have to put your trust in him. He is well connected and was with the DA's office for 14 years. Believe me you want somebody that knows there way around this crazy scary legal system. Thanks again Mr Kraut. Also the bailiff that day smiled as I was walking out as to be in disbelief. 50 other attorneys could not believe that Mr. Kraut could get a .23 3rd time DUI thrown out no matter what the facts.

I remember the day I first met Mr. Kraut, I had been falsely accused of a crime I didn’t commit, taken away from my family and charged with assault and mayhem which are very serious crimes. I was scared and very confused, I was at my lowest point when I was told I had a visitor. I was greeted by Mr.... Kraut who introduced himself, smiled and said, “I am going to get you out of here.” Since that day forward Mr. Kraut has been with me every step of the way and what a journey it has been. Mr. Kraut was a former District Attorney which has given him the skills to aggressively and intelligently defend his clients through his: superior knowledge, confidence, tireless research and strong courtroom presence. Each and every one of these attributes Mr. Kraut truly demonstrates in the courtroom. It is clearly evident that when Mr. Kraut walks into a courtroom he has earned the respect of other attorneys, judges and courtroom personnel. In spite of that fact, it is also clear that he will stop at nothing and no one to guarantee his clients rights are being upheld.(no lawyer not even the judge can stop him.) Mr. Kraut or Mike as I call him is also such a compassionate person, he understands the hardship that everyone is going through and makes life a lot easier through his legal representation. In the midst of my case I unfortunately lost my father and Mr. Kraut has been nothing but understanding and words cannot describe the gratitude me and my family have for him. I was lucky that my mother and father were able to locate Mr. Kraut and more importantly that he decided to take my case. Thanks For Everything Mike

I cannot begin to express my eternal gratitude for the way Michael Kraut handled my son’s case. The day we received "the call" from our son, I was first in shock and then my heart simply sank to a depth that couldn't be measured! I honestly felt the world should just end right then. He was charged... with sexual offenses. This was so not the son I knew and loved. I was 100% convinced from the day we read the AVVO reviews, that Michael Kraut was the attorney for him, however, our son had to make the ultimate decision. There were so many sleepless nights and we were frightened to death. Three months before our searching on AVVO, our son had hired a different lawyer. He would call and tell us he could never get through on the phone to his lawyer. A receptionist would always say he was in court. Feeling very uneasy about how things were being handled, my husband flew out to California from Texas to be present at the first scheduled court date. The lawyer never appeared. Things were definitely NOT going right. I cannot say emphatically enough, that I KNOW in my heart God led us to Michael Kraut. The decision was made to switch lawyers and Michael Kraut was the one our son chose. He shared with us of the many conversations the two of them had. They were of immense comfort to our son. During one of his favorite conversations, Mr. Kraut shared that it was his style to mentally put himself in the shoes of the ones he represented. Michael Kraut believed in our son as we do, and I just cannot thank him enough for always being there for him. Repeatedly, our son would say to us that Mr. Kraut was always the one who would answer the phone. If someone is looking for the best, be encouraged to trust Michael Kraut, because he is compassionate and kind, and knows exactly what steps to take. Be confident to follow all of his advice, and walk in his shadow feeling safe. The outcome of this case could have altered the course of our son’s life in a negative way, causing barriers that would have prevented him from using his God-given talents. He is still young with a bright future waiting, thanks to Michael Kraut’s faith in him and the wisdom to know what path to take. Mr. Kraut, I hope you realize that you are a REAL testimony to what mercy, forgiveness, and grace are, and that you were an answered prayer. I pray God’s blessings will just keep pouring into your life as you continue to help so many others along the way.

I was recently arrested for the first time in my life. Not knowing what to do or who to trust, I'd hired the first lawyer that I found online and he was doing nothing for me. In fact, I found out that he incriminated me and refused to work with the police investigator on my case. I quickly realize...d that I needed to get my act together and find a new lawyer. Determined to rigorously vet my potential replacement attorney, I visited Avvo.com and met with eight different high quality firms, many of which seemed very competent and determined to help me. However, Michael Kraut was the only one who seemed willing to go above and beyond. He told me to follow my instincts and hire the right lawyer for me. Well I did just that, hired him, and am so glad that I did. He was attentive and in control from the get go. He is a straight shooter, kept me up to date and personally answered my phone calls and emails. He was the best lawyer I could have asked for and got seven of my eight charges dropped. I faced serious life-long repercussions and, with Michael's help, ended up just having to serve 20 days of community service and one year of therapy. I truly believe that Michael was the only person who could have gotten this fantastic plea deal for me. Michael Kraut has integrity, grit, and a love for his job that is extremely rare. He is well respected and he shows others respect. Thank you Michael! I will never forget this!