Michael Eric Kraut

Within the blink of an eye, I found myself, a longtime professional who had never had a single encounter with police department being arrested on a felony case. After being in jail for 24 hours and then let out on bail, I immediately went to work interviewing over 10 different criminal lawyers on th...e specifics of my case, their experience, rates/terms, and how they would approach my case. I was very close to selecting one of the attorneys i spoke with, until I called a buddy of mine who is a DA in another county. He told me very strongly to make sure which ever criminal attorney I selected to make sure the person was a former prosecutor in LA county. With that advice I proceeded to interview a handful of additional attorney's in LA with prosecutor experience and Mike was one of them. From the moment I spoke to Mike I felt a sense of comfort and relief. He asked the right questions, acted with a sense of urgency, was a straight shooter, and seemed genuinely interested in helping me clear my record and name. I met with Mike within 2 hours of our initial phone conversation and soon after he got to work. Mike immediately began to engage with the police department's senior detective overseeing my case and the police report that was being prepared for the DA's office. With his skill, knowledge, and relationships, he was able to convince the detective to provide him a day or two of more time to supplement the police report with additional information that would help my case and provide the detective evidence that might exonerate me entirely from the case. Within 2 days of meeting with the detective I was dropped from the case. I cannot begin to explain how rare and difficult that accomplishment was. Typically criminal attorney's are preparing to fight for you at arraignments and hearings. A handful of attorney's if they are really good may fight for you at pre-filing phase, meaning they try and convince the DA to drop the case before it is filed officially. It is very, very unusual, - maybe even unheard of - for an attorney to attempt and be successful in having the detective/police department drop a charge prior to even sending the report/case to the DA's for review and processing. No attorney that I spoke with even suggested this was possible let alone suggested attempting. In addition to this, Mike is now working to make sure that the arrest never shows up on my record. Something no other attorney mentioned possible or expressed interest in pursuing. In my view all of this underscores just how special an attorney Mike is. Just in closing, my life was really turned upside down for about around a week. This case could have jeopardized my employment with a top company, my growing business, and most importantly my name and freedom, due to an unfortunate set of circumstances and misunderstandings. I followed my instincts and selected Mike to represent me and I am very glad that I did. Thanks again Mike for everything. BTW-- My mom thanks you as well!

Even now, talking about this incident leaves me saddened and with a sizable amount of discomfort. I always believed that one was innocent until proven guilty and that the justice system was fair, impartial, and blind. What happened that evening not only left me with my doubts, but also revealed how... quickly in an instant one’s life can change. At the time when we needed the best, Attorney Michael Kraut stepped up to the plate and disposed of the charges. From the moment we met, and after getting all the details, not only from us but from the authorities, he worked relentlessly to undo an injustice that could have impacted our lives, careers, and future. He immediately put us at ease and instilled the confidence in us that helped us through the ordeal. I shudder at the thought of what might have happened if it wasn’t for Michael Kraut’s expertise.

I was recently arrested for a DUI. The court and DMV process is overwhelming and if convicted, tough penalties could result. It was imperative that I obtain a qualified attorney. Michael Kraut came highly recommended to me. Michael is a former Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney and has an ...excellent litigation record as a Prosecutor. As a criminal defense attorney Michael handles many charges and specializes in DUI defense. Because of Michael’s Professionalism, experience and contacts in the system, he was able to get my DUI reduced. From our first meeting to the conclusion, Michael was a pleasure – he followed-through, kept me informed and was comforting in this difficult time for me. I am forever appreciative of Michael Kraut’s representation.

I had undergone a DUI recently which put my career in great jeopardy. Being an independent consultant working from contract to contract requires background checks and a DUI charge showing on my criminal record would have caused a significant impact to my reputation and limited my chance of ever gett...ing hired again. I did thorough research before I hired a lawyer and found Michael Kraut, Attorney at Law. Michael Kraut had an excellent litigation record as a prosecutor, and an extensive number of years as a Deputy District Attorney, and he also specializes in DUI defense. Three months later Michael Kraut was able to have my DUI charge dismissed and my charge lowered. Because of Michael Kraut’s knowledge and experience in law he knew how to best handle my case and my background record and reputation were saved. I highly recommend Michael Kraut, he is not only an excellent lawyer, but was very supportive while I was going through one of the worse times of my life. Thank you Michael!

In a nutshell, Mike is very competent, connected, and efficient lawyer. I was arrested for DUI a few months ago and blew just around the legal limit. I was scared. DUI is very very serious. And there was another factor that could have resulted in a very frightening enhancement. I was panicked I wa...s going to have my license revoked and spend time in jail. So I read a local magazine I have for my community and saw Mike was a lawyer. So I went with him, because I like to support my community. A great thing about Mike is that he does all of his own work. You hire him, you get him, not some associate. He is extremely well connected in the legal world as he says he is, and he will work to get you the best possible deal. He's definitely a guy who knows his stuff. Communication is somewhat of a problem though. Obviously, he takes on a lot of clients so he seems too busy to hold your hand. His motto was basically "Just relax, I'm going to take care of it." And while that motto proved to be true, I wish he kept me better updated about the process. While he responds to emails promptly, I often felt they were too short or didn't go into detail. He's a busy guy, but for a paranoid scared person like myself I definitely had moments of major anxiety about him, since my life and liberty were literally in his hands. It would have helped to have been more informed about the process (maybe a paralegal could do that?) even if it was unnecessary, just to calm my psyche. Luckily that anxiety was unnecessary and Mike got me a very good deal on my situation. No DUI, instead a very minor misdeameanor connected to reckless driving. So I was thrilled with Mike's "magic" that got me one of the best deals possible for a DUI defendant (of course, my relatively low BAC helped, but still, I've heard of others with lower BACs getting worse deals). Let me say I paid a pretty penny for Mike. Definitely on the higher end, especially for a first time offender with a low BAC. But he does do all his own work, which sometimes that work stretches over months, and of course has many years of expereince prosecuting and defending. Could I have hired a cheaper lawyer and gotten the same result? I don't know - maybe. But I decided to go with one of the best, well connected ones out there to ensure the best result possible because so often "you get what you pay for". And that is what happened. I kept my license and pled to a pricy but mostly harmless charge. So if you're accused of DUI (or any crime really) and you're willing to pay what it takes to get a good result, Mike is the man for you. Just don't expect updates beyond the minimum. On a side note, my whole DUI experience was extremely negative. I'm never drinking and driving again, because the cost of a couple drinks and getting behind the wheel is enormous. It's a scary, stressful, life changing (not in a good way) experience, and I didn't even get a real DUI! So trust me, take the cab ALWAYS, even if you balk at the $50 cab ride, a DUI will cost equivalent to 200 of them (and the cab rides don't suspend your license, give you an ignition interlock, create a criminal record, force you to take classes, and jack up your insurance). Seriously, enforcement is going way up, so be careful.