A pre-trial conference is, basically, a meeting between the Judge, the District Attorney and your attorney, wherein discussion is had to explore the possibility of some type of negotiated settlement. At a pre-trial conference in Butte County, nothing of much consequence actually happens because they really do not have real “pre-trials” in Butte County, and the matter is usually set for further motions and hearings.

It is not usually necessary for you to appear at pre-trials, unless we notify you in advance, as they usually are of no consequence. If anything happens of importance at the pre-trial, you will be notified immediately, but you do not need to be present unless otherwise notified.

After the arraignment and plea, we ask the District Attorney, who will then get the investigation reports from the arresting agency, to provide us with copies, along with other various items, usually including dispatch tapes, other physical evidence such as tape recordings, etc., or videos they have or may not have in regard to your case. This is called “discovery.”

After the arraignment and plea hearing, you will receive another letter advising you what, if anything, took place, and the date of the next hearing. If something of monumental importance took place at the pre-trial hearing, you will receive a telephone call immediately, but in most cases, nothing of consequence takes place at the pre-trial, particularly in Butte County.

Please be patient; we will send you copies of the investigation reports, if you have not already received them, from the DA shortly after we receive them. If applicable, we will not be sending you copies of the investigation reports from DMV, because they are merely copies of what we receive from the District Attorney’s office.