Pretrials

A pretrial is a meeting over the phone where you and the City Attorney try to settle the case.

• If you reach an agreement, the City Attorney will send the agreement to the judge. The judge does not have to accept the agreement, but usually does.
• If you do not reach an agreement, the case will go to trial. The City Attorney can give you advice about how to support your case.

This is not a criminal charge so you are not entitled to a lawyer. The City Attorney does not represent you or the court. The court remains neutral.

Your Responsibilities

You must call on your court date to speak with a City Attorney, unless you hired a lawyer to appear for you. If you do not call within five minutes of your hearing, you will be found guilty.

Parents cannot substitute for their children. Spouses cannot substitute for each other.

If your address changes during the case, you must notify the court of the change in writing within five days.