Answering Your Bail Bond Questions
At Jerry Loftin & Associates, we provide both
criminal defense and
bail bonds for our client’s legal needs. We are your only Fort Worth legal
firm that is also a bail bond agency. Below we answer common questions
about bail bonds and how they help our clients.
Contact our team
for a bail bond 24/7.
What is bail?
Bail is a set amount of money that acts as insurance between the court and
the person in jail, the defendant, as a promise to appear for trial. Defendants
have the option to pay bail in cash, but many cannot afford to do so.
What is a Bail Bond?
A
bail bond is a surety bond provided by a company that secures the release of a defendant
from jail when the defendant cannot pay in cash. There are two types of
bail bonds; a criminal bail bond used in criminal cases to guarantee a
defendant will appear for trial and a civil bail bond used in civil cases
to guarantee the payment of debt plus interest by the defendant.
How do bail bonds work?
A judge sets bail at a certain amount determined by the crime and defendant’s
criminal history and bail bondsmen typically require that a defendant
pay 10% of the bail amount. The bondsman then sets up a bail bond with
the court that allows the defendant to be released from jail. The bail
bondsman will secure the remaining bail balance in the form of collateral
for the bail bond to be posted.
What happens if a defendant does or does not appear in court after bail
is posted?
If the defendant appears in court, the bail bond is dissolved, and the collateral is returned. The bail
bondsman will keep the 10% as profit.
If the dependent fails to appear in court, the bail bond is forfeited and the remaining 90% of the bail must be
paid. The bail bondsman will use the collected collateral to pay the court
the remaining amount.
Your 24-Hour Fort Worth Bail Bond Agency and Law Firm
If you need an immediate jail release bond, our team is available for 24-hour
response. We know that mistakes happen, and we can help you understand
your rights and the steps to take to ensure that you don’t miss
your court hearing. Let our team help you with your bail bond while also
providing legal counsel. Our Fort Worth bail bonds lawyer and criminal
defense team will protect your best interests in and out of court.
Contact our team for a free consultation at (817) 591-7850.