When you’re in jail, the bail bond company you choose matters.
While the “nuts and bolts” of being arrested and jailed are the same in Cobb County, DeKalb County, Fulton County and Gwinnett County, how a jail and its systems functions can be very different. “Because we know, in detail, how each county’s judicial system works, we can explain what to expect to our customers,” A 2nd Chance founder and CEO Daniel Matalon said. “Many of them do not have attorneys and need help navigating the system. We are happy to share our knowledge with them during this uncomfortable time.”
The pandemic has caused a great number of Atlanta area residents to lose their jobs. Many have moved to a different part of town or even relocated to another state to find work. While leaving the area can be justified, defendants who fail to update the courts on their current locations can find themselves in legal jeopardy if they miss appearance notices, court date updates and other important case-related paperwork. Consider the defendant who has moved for a new job and has a new address. The court, which likely has the defendant’s old address on file, will send the court date notice there. Once the notice is forwarded, it is not likely that the defendant will receive it in time to make the court date. Every defendant has a legal obligation to stay informed about pending court dates. Not receiving the notice to appear is indefensible from the court’s perspective. Miss a court date and you can expect the court to issue a warrant for your failure to appear. Once the warrant is issued, you will be immediately arrested.
Because these notices are also sent to the defendant’s attorney on record and bail bond company, A 2nd Chance has added a step into its process to help ensure that its customers are in court as ordered. The company places a phone call in advance of the court date to alert the defendant to the pending appearance. This system works so well that, in a five-year period, 72% of the company’s defendants appeared in court when ordered.
You might be surprised to learn your bail bond company choice can matter down the road, too. A bail bonds company with strong ties to local judicial systems can continue to help you even after your legal challenges are handled and concluded.
“We maintain the utmost confidentiality of our customers’ information, and we don’t release information without a court order. However, we maintain strong relationships with the court system and they sometimes ask us for help,” explained Matalon.
Matalon recounted a recent experience when U.S. Marshals wanted to talk to a former customer, who they thought might have information pertinent to a current case. Once he found out why the marshals wanted to talk with his former client, he was able to contact the former client who agreed to talk with the marshals.
Just as our working relationships with the courts are important to representing our clients well, A 2nd Chance has also built strong alliances with local law enforcement as well. To that end, we’d like to congratulate the newly elected slate of judicial and law enforcement officials who took office in January, including:
- Cobb County’s District Attorney Flynn Broady, Sheriff Craig Owens and District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson
- DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox
- Fulton County’s Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat-Sheriff and District Attorney Fani Willis
- Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor
A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds remains at the ready to assist you and your clients around the clock. We are in our offices every day to serve you personally, and we can also process bail bonds electronically.
