A judge sets a bail amount. If you pay that full amount directly to the court yourself, you get it back at the end of the case, whatever the outcome.
Most families cannot pay the full amount, so instead we post what is called a surety bond - we guarantee the full amount to the court on your behalf, and you pay us a percentage of it as our fee.
That fee is not a deposit. It does not come back, even if the case is dismissed, even if the person is found not guilty. It is what pays for the bond itself. We tell every caller this before any paperwork, because it is the single most important thing to understand before you agree to anything.
If you co-sign, know what you are agreeing to
The person who signs for the bond is called the indemnitor. Signing means you are responsible for making sure the defendant shows up to every court date.
If they miss court and cannot be found, you can become financially responsible for the full bail amount - not just our fee, the whole amount the judge set.
For some bonds we ask for collateral - a car, property, or cash - to secure that risk. Collateral is returned once the case ends and the bond is formally released by the court, a step called exoneration.
We go through all of this out loud before anyone signs. If something is unclear, ask us to say it again.
What happens, in order
Booking and processing after an arrest typically takes a few hours. This is fingerprints, photographs and paperwork, and we cannot speed up this part - it is run entirely by the facility.
Bail is then set, either at a hearing in front of a judge or from a standing bail schedule for the charge, depending on the jurisdiction and the hour.
Once we have an amount, we complete the paperwork with you and post the bond with the court or the facility.
Release follows after that, usually within a few more hours, depending entirely on how busy the facility is that night. We will give you an honest range rather than a promise, because we do not control their schedule.
Payment, plainly
Our fee is a percentage of the bail amount set by the court, and that percentage is regulated by the state - we do not set it ourselves and we will tell you the number before you agree to anything.
We accept major cards, cash and, for some amounts, a payment plan. If paying the fee all at once is not possible tonight, say so - it does not mean we cannot help.
If a court date gets missed
Call our office immediately - before anything else. A missed date can often be resolved with the court before it turns into a forfeiture, but only if we hear about it right away. There is no benefit to waiting, and we are not going to make this harder on you than it already is.
What to have ready when you call
You do not need all of this before you call. We can look up most of it ourselves once we know where to search.
The full legal name and date of birth of the person in custody
Which jail or facility they were taken to, if you know it
The booking number or case number, if one has been given to you
Your own contact information, since you may be the one signing for the bond
We are not a law firm
We post bail. We do not represent anyone in court, and we cannot tell you whether to take a plea, what will happen at a hearing, or how to fight a charge. The person in custody still needs a lawyer, and if one has not been hired yet, the court can often appoint one. Ask us and we can point you toward that process - we just cannot be the legal advice itself.
