Michael Eric Kraut

Since you are reading this review I assume that you are likely where I was seven months ago... in search for an honest, trustworthy, and candid lawyer while being overwhelmed with the recommendations from friends and millions of lawyer websites. After many interviews with a variety of lawyers, my wif...e and I met with Michael Kraut at his office. We knew right away that he was our man. I was falsely accused of two misdemeanors. When my wife and I first met with Michael we were overwhelmed, emotional and scared because of the situation that I was in. Michael was the only lawyer who immediately calmed our nerves and put our challenge into perspective. He was like a psychologist, helping us to think through our options and giving us the confidence that our lives would go back to normal as long as we followed a few simple steps. We left Michael's office feeling confident that he had the intelligence, connections, and experience to help me. That feeling was invaluable, as it helped my wife and I to take the necessary steps to start the healing process. Sure enough, months later Michael showed me the "letter" (his delivery was quite a memorable one - he has a very witty sense of humor) stating that the city had dropped all charges! That was one of the happiest days of our lives, and we owe it to Michael. I highly recommend Michael Kraut as your defense attorney. You will not regret it.

I contacted Mr. Kraut after getting pulled over for and arrested for an underage DUI, a little above the legal limit. I spent a night in jail following the arrest. It was by far one of the most anxiety-provoking situations I have ever been in. I saw my whole future go down the drain, contemplating th...e potential consequences of this charge. Upon getting released, I decided to seek out an attorney to help me out with the case. After doing extensive research on those in my area, I came across Mr. Kraut. Immediately after talking on the phone with him, I knew that I wanted him to represent me. He seemed confident, experienced, personable, and helpful. All these first impressions turned out to be true. After hiring him, he virtually took care EVERYTHING. He is a very busy man, and though at times it seemed like I was not involved enough, he was still able to take the time to walk me through the proceedings of my trial. I came out with my charge reduced to a wet and reckless. I cannot stress how lucky I am that this happened, and also to have picked Mr. Kraut to represent me. He is a great guy, knows the court system like the back of his hand, and really cares for his clients. I could not be happier with these results.

After an exchange of words with another patron at a concert venue led to a minor altercation, I was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor battery. Because of my ignorance of criminal law, I failed to press counter-charges against the other individual and found myself spending a night in jail with ...bail set at $50,000. After pleading with a judge and public defender the following afternoon, I was released on my own recognizance and told to hire an attorney. I was facing jail time, fines, and worst of all, a criminal record. After hearing my story, Michael Kraut agreed to take my case. He explained that it would be difficult to fight because the case had been officially filed when the judge released me on my own recognizance. He went on to explain that he would now be dealing with the city attorney in an attempt to get my charges reduced or expunged. Upon meeting with the city attorney, he was told that my charges would not be reduced and that I would be facing the maximum penalties when convicted and sentenced. This is when Mr. Kraut began his work. He gathered evidence, spoke to witnesses and obtained written statements, building a solid “mutual combat” defense. When my court date arrived, I met Michael at the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. He calmly took me aside and asked if I would be willing to plead “no contest” to a charge of disturbing the peace and attend twelve anger management classes. He went on to explain that, if this plea bargain was accepted and I completed the classes, that this conviction would be expunged and my record sealed. I agreed. Unfortunately, the city attorney again rejected the offer and continued to push for the maximum penalty. The reality of going to jail began to set in. Michael Kraut did not back down. He produced the evidence he had gathered and confidently told the city attorney that he had a solid case and would win if it went to trial. This caused the city attorney to back down and accept the plea deal. Because of Michael Kraut’s personal attention to detail, assertiveness and perseverance, I am now just eleven anger management classes away from putting this whole horrible event behind me. I will forever be grateful for his hard work and personal approach.

Michael Kraut saved & changed my life. Here is my experience with him. I was driving with my dog from Los Angeles to Long Beach for a weekend with my girl friend. I was only a few miles away from her place when my night and life went to Hell. I was pulled over by the CHP for reckless driving and arr...ested for driving under the influence of narcotics. I went to Jail, my dog to the local pound & my car impounded. The previous six months before my arrest, I was suffering from a painful case of Sciatica. I saw several doctors. Each of them trying to find the root of my problem along with giving me some immediate relief for my pain. I received epidurals, steroids and physical therapy but the pain wouldn’t go away. I was prescribed MS Contin (morphine), Vicodin, Norco, Percoset, Soma, Flexiril, Xanax and others. I also take Ambien and Adderall. Over time I slowly built up a tolerance and never thought twice that I should of stopped driving. I had the meds in my travel bag in the car. The mistake was I had one prescription bottle with a few different kinds of pills inside but I didn’t have the correct label or proof I was prescribed these. Some of the medications back at my home came in bulk size containers, so while staying at her house every few weeks, it was more convenient putting them in one bottle. I told the officer there is zero alcohol in me or any illegal drugs in my system other than what I was prescribed. But after some sobriety tests, I was placed under arrest for a driving under the influence of a narcotic. I received a DUI 6 years ago when I used to drink, so if convicted this would of been my second. A second DUI is more than double the costs, twice the school and possible jail time, so I knew I had to find someone with experience to represent me. I called & met a few of the well known DUI Los Angeles attorneys but every time I hung up or walked out of their office, I felt like they were trying to sell me a used car. I was helpless, depressed and still in tremendous back pain. I continued surfing the web looking for information when I found someone who was also arrested for a prescription drug DUI. He was praising his attorney Michael Kraut. I gave him a call early the next morning and an hour later met with Michael in his Hollywood office. I explained my situation and within minutes I saw a difference from him and the previous attorneys. He could see I was rattled and assured me that he could help, not to worry and focus on my health. I walked out of his office feeling I was in good hands. Within a few days, he handled my DMV hearing, explained how the system works, be patient and stay positive. I received a letter stating the Long Beach Court was charging me with a felony DUI. I called Michael up and he explained the severity of a felony, but assured me we can still get through this. First we need to get it out of the felony court until we worry about fighting the misdemeanor. At my arraignment, there were a few other lawyers representing other cases but none of them had the professionalism and confidence that he carried in the courtroom. It was easy to see his good reputation with the prosecutors, court clerks & the Judge. After he briefly explained the circumstances and my clean criminal record, the judge approved his request for an extension. I felt confident knowing I was in good hands with Michael on my side. At the next hearing, Michael walked in with copies of the prescriptions & my medical records and I could see him relentlessly going back and forth with the Prosecutor fighting for me. Minutes later when my name was called, I stepped up to the Judge with Michael. The Prosecutor told the Judge the medications matched up with my blood from the arrest and asked the judge to dismiss the case. The Judge approved. DISMISSED! My life was changed thanks to Michael Kraut. He is my attorney for life & I would recommend him to anyone looking for a DUI attorney. It’s nice to have the best on your side.

Mike is a fantastic lawyer. I am a professional (a physician) who was charged with a DUI after being found asleep in my car and blowing slightly above the legal limit. This was a terrifying experience: spending the night in jail, worrying about an alcohol-related misdemeanor, the medical board etc. D...ealing with Mike had the following positive features: he appears at all your court appearances for you, he's available by phone or email 24/7, he is well connected, he does all the work himself (you dont deal with associates) and his results speak for themselves. Initially, I was obviously concerned and wanted to know every detail of every action he was taking. He instilled confidence in me from our first meeting and I finally let him do his thing after about a week or two of obesessing over the details. Mike was professional, kept me informed of important decisions or facts as they came up and advised me as if he were in my position. Fortunately, for my case we were able to win the DMV portion of the charge, allowing me to keep my license without any restriction and have my final charge reduced ot a non-misdemeanor charge. Needless to say, these are amazing results that would be difficult for anybody to duplicate. Finally, Mike puts a personal interest and passion into what he does and that is seen at every level when he is dealing with a case. You would be hard pressed to find any other attorney with the aforementioned set of attributes.