Matthew Cristopher Bently

Matthew Cristopher Bently

also known as Matt Bently

5.0
Rating: 6.5

Licensed for 13 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Chico, CA
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI

1560 Humboldt Road, Suite 1, Chico, CA

About Matthew

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense 80%

Serious and violent felonies, general misdemeanors.

80%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 45 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 225-225 per hour

Retainer

Sometimes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 13 years

State: California

Acquired: 2012

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Law Office of Matthew C. Bently

1560 Humboldt Road, Suite 1, Chico, CA, 95928

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Matthew Cristopher Bently's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

16 Client Reviews

5 star (16)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by Danisha | November 12, 2020 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Wouldn’t ask for a better attorney!

Matthew Bentley went above and beyond for my case and was a great attorney to work with! I appreciate all the communication and being so thorough going through my case. Thank you very much for helping me through this! Definitely recommend Matthew !

Posted by anonymous | November 12, 2020 | Consulted Attorney

This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.

Estate Planning

I contacted Matthew Bently about Estate Planning. He informed me that he doesn't really practice estate planning but he would be able to refer me to another attorney that could help me. I really appreciated Matthews honesty about his field of expertise!

Posted by anonymous | November 6, 2020 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

110 in 70, dismissed

When the pandemic started to spread I had to ride my motorcycle from CA to my home in WA. While cruising down I-5 near Chico I got flagged down and received a ticket for 110 in 70. I had to try and get the ticket dismissed since I can't imagine how much my insurance on my cars and bikes is going to i...ncrease, let alone I am going through an important phase of my immigration process. When in my exact kind of situation, people would desperately Google for hours and end up going with some app / website based solution. But I did my homework and realized that those app / website are just doing "trial by declaration". Which means that instead of going to Court to fight your case, defendant and the officer give the judge a statement and any evidence in writing. Most of these apps / websites would just submits some boilerplate for this process. Some cheaper ones even just give you the boilerplate. However, this does not always work: Although in some cases, officer won't bother doing the paperwork and the case gets dismissed. In a small town you bet the cops have a lot of free time. These apps / websites are just pushing luck, but they are pushing your luck not theirs. Comparing to your long term loss on insurance increase, the mere $200 they refund when the case fails simply does not matter. This is why I decided to find an experience local attorney. I called almost all the local traffic attorneys, some said they do not handle this kind of small case, some tried to convince me to just pay and move on. Matthew is the only person that took my case. Matthew has good amount of experience working traffic cases and is very familiar with the local judicial systems. He was a local police officer himself. He broke down the case in detail for me and went to work for me. The case dragged on for almost 8 months. From the initial court date in May, to a delayed date in August. Matthew requested evidence from court and followed through to a second court date in November. Finally, the case got dismissed. I would definitely recommend Matthew to anyone who gets into a similar situation like mine. Don't use the apps and websites. Hire local experts like Matthew for the best results!

Posted by anonymous | November 5, 2020 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Work from home and Homeschool mom

I went to the law offices because I was pulled over due to ball on my bumper which blocked center # on my license plate. I received a DUI. My first lawyer made me believe my cased would be dismissed, this went on for over a year. It was very frustrating. Finally Matthew took over my case and with ha...ving the experience with law enforcement he was able to explain things more realistically. Made the choices I had clear. Still didn't get the out come I was hoping for but my case is settled THANKS TO MATTHEW BENTLY......note .. DO NOT BLOCK YOUR LICENSE PLATE :(

Posted by anonymous | October 28, 2020 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Review

Professional and great judgement. I had a peace of mind as client. Careful with decisions he makes.

See All Client Reviews

Matthew Cristopher Bently's Lawyer Endorsements

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Experience

Rating:  6.5 (Good)

Work Experience

2012 - Present

Attorney, The Law Office of Matthew Bently

2016 - 2019

Director/Chief Compliance Officer, California State University, Chico

2011 - 2016

Deputy County Counsel, Colusa County

1995 - 2000

Deputy Sheriff, Glenn County

1994 - 1995

Police Officer, San Jose/Evergreen College District

Sample of Legal Cases

People v. Ruggirello

Case dismissed.

People v. Picklesimer

Petition heard in California Supreme Court

People v. Ingvoldsen

Case dismissed

See More Legal Cases

Education

N/A

CAL Northern SOL

N/A

California St Univ Chico

Publications

2010

Study Guide Matt's Bar Exam Outlines

Languages

English

Spanish

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution