The Madera County Superior Court is finally moving out of a condemned elementary school and into a $100 million, four-story building.

Gone are the erstwhile history and math classrooms that house major criminal trials, as well as the unsecure layout in which convicted criminals often passed by the chambers of the judges who had just sentenced them. In fact, former California Chief Justice Ronald George called the facility “one of the worst” he’d ever seen. The new building on G Street features 10 courtrooms, complete traffic ticket desks, digital visual aid capability, and state-of-the-art computers. There’s also a 256-space parking garage next door. Much of the stone used during construction came from the local Raymond Quarry.

Judge Ernest LiCalsi, who started as an assistant district attorney back in the 1980s, said the building “is up there with the best.”

Restricted Court Services

Madera County is definitely the exception to the rule. Due to budget cuts, many courts in Central California have reduced their staffs, cut their hours, closed satellite locations, eliminated night court, and the list goes on. At the same time, volume has increased, so the people remaining are generally doing two or three times as much work as they did ten years ago.

The cutbacks are bad news for do-it-yourself defendants, because some clerks do not even answer the phone anymore. Whereas an Fresno County traffic ticket once meant an extended lunch hour, a citation can sometimes be an all-day ordeal.

However, the cuts are good news for represented defendants. Due to staff reduction, prosecutors that were busy ten years ago are now incredibly overworked and more willing than ever to compromise, if it means avoiding a trial. The catch is that only attorneys with a track record of success can truly take advantage of the situation, because novice or ticket-mill lawyers simply do not command the same respect.

Getting Legal Help

The aggressive lawyers at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-859-1177 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-376-0214.