Michael Eric Kraut

On June 23, 2011, after side-swiping a parked SUV and leveling a stop sign, i was arrested and booked into the WONDERFUL Beverly Hills Jail (no joke- was comparable to a recent stay at the Beverly Hilton) on suspicion of DUI…for the second time. This would have been my second DUI charge, resulting in... a large fine, 9 months of DUI class, community service, and possible jail time, had i not been blessed with meeting Attorney Michael Kraut. After my first and ONLY DUI (thanks to Michael), i realized i had a drinking problem and sought help. After a few months of being sober and an active AA member, i was accused of being under the influence of prescription meds while driving (Still a DUI), as they "found" my prescription bottles hidden on the cushion of passenger seat ;). I have since tapered off ALL my medications. As you can imagine, after working so very hard to get and maintain sobriety, and be booked for taking medications prescribed to me for anxiety, i was furious and very scared. After a quick online search, really good reviews, and a more than proficient understanding of DUI charges, i met Michael Kraut. He's a straight shooter. He will tell you the facts, inform you of all possibilities, but also assure you that he will make things better. AND BOY, CAN HE!!! As i and Mr. Kraut felt the charges were not valid, and should not be treated as a second offense, he stood by me for a YEAR! I didn't have to show up to court until the last day, but would get phone call updates on a regular basis, letting me know what he was working on and what they were trying. In the end, i ended up with a "Dry Wreckless Driving" charge, a 3 month driving school (Half the time of a first DUI charge), no com. service, and no jail time. If i had to do it again (please, oh please, never, ever,ever…did i say ever? EVER again) i would choose Michael. Thank you, sir!

I was driving home on the 110 fwy after a night of diner and cocktails with friends on Superbowl weekend. The end of the fwy in Pasadena has serious curves and I was too busy talking to notice police behind me. I went over the line on a curve and was pulled over. Like a dummy I told the truth, “yeah ...I had a drinks with dinner, but that was hours ago”. Next thing I know I am taking a breathalyzer test and arrested! I later found out I blew just over the limit. The whole experience is horrible! I have never been in trouble before. What’s worse? I just finished grad school in education and have not found a job yet. I will not pass fingerprints and cannot work with kids with a DUI on my record! Right away I start researching lawyers. Found my top 5 and Michael Kraut was #3 on my list. I left messages and Michael was the first to contact me. He called me after business hours and said that he always tries to call clients on the same day. This was a good sign! I met 2 other lawyers first who were not reassuring. One lawyer was overly concerned about getting paid (yes, I am unemployed). The other lawyer said that I will be ok because it’s my first offense. I did not feel like he would fight the charges. My future career is on the line! At my meeting with Michael, he was professional, knowledgeable, confident, honest, and well connected. He personally works his own cases and handles everything including DMV. I was a nervous wreck. Michael empathized, listened to my story, and reassured me. Two things sealed the deal for me. (1) He asks lots of targeted questions which gave me the sense that he was asking about things to use to fight the charges. (2) He proceeded with the same sense of urgency that I felt. He started working right away on the DMV paperwork while I was still in the office. He was honest and gave me the best case scenario and the most likely scenario. I left his office feeling like I was in the best hands! Throughout my case, Michael returned calls and emails within the hour, or at most within the same day. He is busy and his responses were friendly and to the point. I only wish his legal secretary would send an email update as soon as something happens with your case. I found out about my DUI charges when I contacted him about my DMV hearing. However, I always knew that he was working hard on my case. Michael prepared all of my paperwork so quickly that it went in BEFORE the DA even had a chance to file. The DUI charges were DROPPPED! I was charged with Speed Exhibition! Michael met me at court and explained what would happen. I got a glorified speeding ticket, 1-day driving impact class, and $1000 total court fines. No jail, no AA meetings, no drug/alcohol treatment, and most importantly no DUI conviction on my record! He made the best case scenario happen! I am beyond grateful!!! Michael also represented me at the DMV hearing and did his best. Unfortunately, my drivers license was suspended for 6 months even though I do not have a DUI conviction. DMV has a separate policy from the courts and you are auto suspended if you blow over the limit. The cost…If you want the best, you will have to pay Michael for his expertise. Yes, I’m broke but my boyfriend is not. Michael allowed us to break up his fee into a few payments. Please do not drink and drive! It is not worth it. Do not drive even if you only had a few cocktails over dinner and you don’t even feel drunk. I have learned my lesson! But if you do get in trouble, call Michael Kraut! He is absolutely the best!!!

In early December, my father was accused of indecent exposure by someone in the neighborhood. The detective pretty much said my father had to be guilty because he found other witnesses that have seen him walking around nude in the back yard of our house before. Apprently "innocent until proven guil...ty" doesn't apply. My father admitted to being in the backyard nude a few times (stupid I know) but in general it's not illegal since there are people sunbathing nude in their backyard. He was adamant that he did not expose himself to anyone though. Each time I spoke with the detective (once on the phone, once when he came to our house to question me and my 3 y.o. nephew), I became more confused about the charges and the supposed witness statements because they would change. Although the detective was cordial, I knew I couldn't trust the police especially when I asked him if we needed to hire a lawyer. He said "oh, you don't have to, but you can try using a public defender if you feel you need it". Yeah, no thanks. I can't trust my father's life and freedom to someone who's ill prepared due to overloaded cases (I've seen how they are when I served jury duty). Once I went online and did some research into what the consequences are for these kinds of sex crimes, I was terrified for my dad and my whole family. If he was found guilty, he could go to jail but what's worse is that he would have to be registered as a sex offender. That means he couldn't even spend time with his grandchildren and since we live near a school, he wouldn't be able to live at the home that he's been in for the last 30 years. With an internal panic that I can't even begin to describe, I started looking for lawyers to help and found the Avvo website. I met with Shoup Law Group first and another law group in Van Nuys before finding Mike. The Shoup lawyer seemed inexperienced and the other lawyer was semi-retired. Both attorneys said that we would have to wait until my dad was officially charged before we could do anything. I also contacted another attorney for a consultation but never received a call back so I was ready to give up and go with one of the ones I already interviewed when I decided to give Mike a quick call toward the late afternoon. He actually answered the phone himself and was open to meeting with me and my dad within the next hour so we hustled over. Having been an ex-DA, Mike has a lot of contacts and most importantly, he said the right time to take care of this was before the police/City Attorney charged my father with anything. So I hired him on the spot. Being close to Christmas and New Years, I didn't hear anything for what felt like forever so my holidays were completely ruined by constant worries and fears. Mike finally made contact with the detective and we recently went to a City Attorney hearing with him present where they told us they would not file charges but we had to keep a constant eye on my father. We had been doing that since December but stepped it up further since. This was the best outcome that we could hope for except now the whole neighborhood is going after him (again, he's presumed guilty already). I know for sure that at least one of the witnesses lied because of recent statements they made. I panicked and Mike reassured me that he handled it and he'll continue to handle it. But at this point, although he has helped us deactivate one bomb, I feel like there's another one about to explode. I hope he continues to help us in the meantime. If you want someone to handle your case before you get in more trouble, hire Mike. He's always reachable although his responses may be short and quick. He won't have time to hold your hand but he will be the one working on your case and not a junior attorney.

In late 2010 my life was completely changed in one horrible instant. One night, while driving home, I was involved in a fatal car accident. I had been drinking earlier that night so when the police gave me a sobriety test, I blew over the limit. I was arrested and spent the night in a holding cell at... the local police station. For a person who had never been arrested before, that was pretty rough. At the time, I was unaware of the condition of the other driver, so as far as I knew, I would be charged with a DUI and that would be the end of it. The next morning some detectives questioned me and I was informed that the other driver had died. I remember feeling sick and absolutely devastated. It felt like a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from. I spent the next day in LA County Jail with $100,000 bail and the charge of “gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated” filed against me. In the days/weeks after my release I felt totally hopeless and helpless. I asked everyone I knew what to do as far as legal defense. Those who worked in legal circles warned me not to go with a public defender, especially considering the severity of my charges. So my wife and I started looking for a criminal defense attorney. We met with several, and let me tell you, the process was not fun. I’m very much a person who goes with his gut feeling when it comes to people and every lawyer we met with made me feel uneasy. They all seemed so heartless, calculating, and money-hungry. Then while searching online, I stumbled onto Michael Kraut’s website. I liked the fact that he had experience as a prosecutor and that he specialized in DUI cases. I decided to give him a call, and to my surprise, he answered on his cell. I explained my charges to him and he seemed to genuinely care about my predicament We set up a time to meet in person to go over the details of the case and determine if he’d be able to help me or not. From the moment I met Mike in his office, I had a good feeling about him. As we discussed the accident, I could tell that he really cared about my mental state and well-being. Now, one thing I really appreciate about Mike is that he doesn’t sugar coat things. He explained that day that should we decide to hire him, the process would be long and trying. It would be months and possibly more than a year before we would have any type of absolution. He also told me that I needed to be prepared for the likelihood that I would be spending some years in prison, and it was just a matter of how many. He assured me that he would do his very best to achieve the best possible outcome.

I was terrified when the police showed up on my doorstep looking for me. The charge was a misdemeaner vandalism charge. So, I began the search frantically trying to find a lawyer I could trust and who would understand my fears and concerns. I called about 6 different people, and of those, Mr. Kr...aut was the only one who actually took my call. He made time for me, and the very same day I called, I was sitting in front of him at no charge. It took only a few minutes to realize this guy knew what he was doing, and had connections and relationships very few lawyers had. I decided to use him, and then, the news got from bad to worse. The following week, he called me, and told me that they were now booking me on a FELONY vandalism charge + a misdemeanor for lewd conduct, and that I could be labeled as a sex offender. He was blatantly honest with me, and said this was extremely serious, and I needed to get into his office immediately. He told me I needed to turn myself in, or I would be arrested and booked. We worked thru the details, so the bail bondman was there, and I was in and out in a few hours. Now, what you need to know about Kraut is that this guy is busy, extremely busy, and for good reason. He is good, extremely good at getting results. He also will return your call with 24 hours, and typically replies to e-mails as well. Mr. Kraut is an extremely confident and strong lawyer, and will get you the results that other lawyers simply cannot. During the time between the arrest and my initial date, he asked a few things from me. What I learned was to not question him, just do what he asks, and you will be well rewarded for it. Finally, the day came for my arraignment, he goes into the courtroom, tells me to wait outside, 45 minutes later, he says the felony and sex crime are GONE, and was working out the details on the misdemeanor charge. The final result, a plead of guily on a simple misdemeanor, and 30 days of electronic work release, so I don't miss work!! THX MR KRAUT!!