Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Comments on $100,000 Celebrity Bench Warrant Issued in Los Angeles, and Unique Challenges Facing Celebrity Defendants

Gregory Caplan, a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney and Bench Warrant Lawyer, has handled 1000s of cases in Los Angeles Courts, as a prosecutor, as well as a defense attorney. His unique background handling Los Angeles criminal cases provides insight into the criminal justice system's management of celebrity defendants in criminal courts.

Mr. Caplan believes that, "Celebrity cases pose numerous challenges for the court, the prosecutor, as well as the defense attorney and celebrity client. In the modern day of social networking, blogs, online news sources, and the various other competitive media outlets, celebrity cases attract an immediate interest. On many levels, this creates an extremely high level of scrutiny which doesn't ordinarily exist for the 1000s of other defendants in local courtrooms the same day. There simply isn't the time or resources to spend hours of time on every case when a typical Los Angeles Courtroom handles 50-100 matters daily. An ordinary case might take a few minutes, while a celebrity case, with media and cameras in the courtroom, can take up substantial time and resources. A Los Angeles Bench Warrant Attorney will focus on resolving the client's issues, working towards a mutually agreed upon solution with the prosecutor."

While the general perception may be that celebrities receive better treatment in the court system, there is a potential for the result to be the opposite. However, Mr. Caplan believes "it has been my experience that Los Angeles judges, prosecutors, and Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyers understand the dynamics of the high-profile celebrity case, and work extremely hard to treat similar cases consistently. I found that when prosecuting the high-profile cases, it helped to take a step back and focus on the case details, and not the fact that the defendant was a celebrity, and I would expect the judges and attorneys handling celebrity cases are doing just that."

An unintended consequence of the system in a celebrity case may be heightened attention by the prosecutor's office and the judge, concerned about the public perception that a celebrity may be given preferential treatment, Mr. Caplan notes. Further Mr. Caplan notes that "the system is based on the model of fairness, and Judges and prosecutors do not want the public perception that they are being "easy" on celebrities convicted of criminal violations. The celebrity case, amplifies the publicity, and may trigger additional case evaluation. I think that fortunately, the Los Angeles Court system not being unfamiliar with celebrity cases, appropriately addresses justice in these cases."

Gregory Caplan has found that an effective strategy for celebrity cases which is sometimes utilized in the court system is the process of "advancing" a high-profile case into court, prior to the scheduled date, in order to create a calmer environment, where the prosecutor, judge, and defense attorney can have productive discussions about sorting out a case "issue." "These calmer conditions oftentimes create successful solutions."

Another effective approach used by in celebrity cases, according to Mr. Caplan, requires the Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyers extensively document any issue which could become a problem, keep an open dialog with the prosecutor's office regarding progress of the client, and anticipate potential issues which could present a problem in the future.

Overall, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Gregory Caplan thinks that the Los Angeles Court system effectively handles the challenges posed by the celebrity defendant, providing parity to similarly situated defendants.