Criminal Defense in Beverly Hills, CA | The Law Office of Zak Fisher

The Law Office of Zak Fisher represents people charged with misdemeanors and other criminal offenses in Beverly Hills, with flat-fee pricing and a free 20-minute consultation. The Beverly Hills Courthouse is the primary venue for Westside misdemeanors, and the firm appears there regularly.

Beverly Hills has its own police department (Beverly Hills Police Department, headquartered at 464 N. Rexford Drive) rather than contracting with LASD. BHPD enforcement is well-resourced, professional, and prosecution-friendly — which makes thorough defense work especially important on Beverly Hills cases. Zak Fisher (Cal Bar #332712, J.D. UCLA School of Law 2020) handles every case personally and appears at the Beverly Hills Courthouse at 9355 Burton Way.

Where Beverly Hills criminal cases are heard

Beverly Hills misdemeanor cases are filed by either the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office or the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office (Beverly Hills itself does not have a city prosecutor handling criminal cases) and heard at the Beverly Hills Courthouse, 9355 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. This courthouse handles misdemeanor matters from Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Bel Air, Brentwood, Westwood, Pacific Palisades, and surrounding Westside neighborhoods.

Common misdemeanor charges in Beverly Hills

• DUI (VC 23152) — BHPD runs aggressive DUI enforcement along Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, and Sunset Boulevard, particularly late-night and around major hotels and restaurants.
• Petty theft (PC 484, 488, 490.2) — retail theft from Rodeo Drive boutiques, Beverly Center, Two Rodeo, and Beverly Hills department stores. Often charged as shoplifting under PC 459.5.
• Simple battery and domestic battery (PC 242, 243(e)(1)) — frequently filed after hotel, restaurant, or residential incidents.
• Public intoxication (PC 647(f)) — often issued as a cite-and-release after restaurant or bar incidents.
• Criminal threats (PC 422) — wobbler frequently filed after verbal altercations escalate.
• Trespass (PC 602) — including hotel, condominium, and private-property exclusion cases.
• Drug possession (HS 11350, 11377) — often paired with DUI or BHPD traffic stops.
• Reckless driving (VC 23103) — including the “wet reckless” reduction destination for borderline DUIs.
• Disturbing the peace (PC 415) — common reduction outcome on lesser cases.

What to do if you’ve been arrested in Beverly Hills

1. Stay silent. BHPD officers will frequently attempt to elicit statements at the scene and during transport. You have a Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions; invoke it politely and clearly.
2. Note your arraignment date and department. It will be on your citation or release paperwork. Beverly Hills Courthouse departments handle different case types — your charging document will indicate where to appear.
3. Preserve evidence and contacts. Save anything that could support your defense — text messages, photos, video, receipts, witness names and numbers.
4. Consult counsel before the arraignment. Pre-arraignment intervention with the filing prosecutor is sometimes possible and can change the entire trajectory of a case.

BHPD-specific defense considerations

Beverly Hills Police Department officers are generally more procedurally precise than many other LA-area agencies, but that does not mean their stops, searches, and arrests are immune to challenge. Defense work in Beverly Hills cases typically includes:

• Detailed review of body-worn camera footage and BHPD dispatch audio.
• Motions to suppress evidence under Penal Code section 1538.5 where the Fourth Amendment basis for a stop or search is weak.
• Pitchess motions under Evidence Code sections 1043 to 1045 to obtain BHPD officer personnel records — including prior complaints for excessive force, dishonesty, or improper search procedures.
• Challenges to field sobriety test administration and breath/blood test handling in DUI cases.
• Negotiation of pretrial diversion under Penal Code section 1001.95 for eligible misdemeanors, mental health diversion under 1001.36, and military diversion under 1001.80.
• Reductions to infractions or to lesser misdemeanors (disturbing the peace, dry reckless) where the prosecution’s evidence supports it.

Flat-fee pricing

Every engagement is quoted as a flat fee in writing before any retainer is paid. The fee is set by case type and stage (pre-filing, post-filing through pretrial, trial). There are no hourly bills and no surprise invoices.

About Zak Fisher

Zakary R. Fisher is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney based in West Hollywood, less than two miles from the Beverly Hills Courthouse. He earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 2020 and was admitted to the State Bar of California in October 2020 (license #332712, active). He is a member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 (California). Zak runs the Law Office of Zak Fisher as a solo practice and personally handles every case. Read the full attorney bio.

Frequently asked questions about Beverly Hills misdemeanors

Where is the Beverly Hills Courthouse?

The Beverly Hills Courthouse is located at 9355 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. It handles misdemeanor matters from Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and many Westside neighborhoods.

Who is the city prosecutor in Beverly Hills?

Beverly Hills does not have its own city prosecutor handling criminal misdemeanors. Cases are filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office or, where jurisdiction overlaps, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. The deputy district attorney or deputy city attorney assigned to your case will be identified in the charging document and at arraignment.

Are shoplifting cases from Beverly Hills retailers always filed?

Most are filed, but not all. Retailers along Rodeo Drive, in the Beverly Center, and at major department stores routinely report shoplifting to BHPD, and BHPD routinely refers cases for filing. Whether a particular case is filed as petty theft (PC 484, 488), shoplifting (PC 459.5), or commercial burglary (PC 459) depends on value, intent at entry, and prior record. Pretrial diversion under PC 1001.95 is frequently available for first-time misdemeanor shoplifting cases.

What happens at a Beverly Hills DUI checkpoint?

BHPD operates DUI checkpoints under California law and the Ingersoll v. Palmer (1987) framework. Checkpoints must be publicly announced, neutrally administered, briefly stop drivers, and produce written compliance documentation. Defense counsel should review the checkpoint authorization, location selection, supervisor approval, and stop pattern whenever a DUI arises from one — non-compliant checkpoints can result in suppression of evidence.

Do I have to appear at every Beverly Hills Courthouse date?

For most misdemeanors, California Penal Code section 977(a) permits counsel to appear on the defendant’s behalf without the defendant being physically present, except for certain critical hearings (entry of a plea, sentencing in some cases). The Law Office of Zak Fisher generally appears under section 977 so clients do not need to miss work for routine status conferences.

Schedule a free consultation

The Law Office of Zak Fisher offers a free 20-minute consultation to anyone facing a pending criminal charge in Beverly Hills or anywhere in Los Angeles County. There is no obligation to retain.