a calif lawyer can practice in any calif city.....but i would only retain one that is in your city and handles the kind of matter you have............

A lawyer can practice in all counties and cities in the state where they are licensed to practice law, although it would usually cost more to have one travel far.

The civil forms you mentioned- Request for Dismissal (civ 110) and

Notice of Entry of Dismissal (civ 120) are judicial counsel forms that you can download from the California Courts website at courts.ca.gov/forms

If you are trying to dismiss a case, you need to fill out the form, and have someone else mail it to the defendant and sign a Proof of Service stating that they did so. You then take both the original Request for Dismissal, and the Proof of Service to the Clerk's office at the court and file them, getting a copy stamped as evidence that the Court has received it. An attorney can do this for you.

Every case is unique and more information is needed to properly answer your query intelligently. In addition, you should NOT be discussing your case on an open forum like this.

It is always a good idea to contact a local attorney that handles these types of cases in the court where you would have to appear. Google the type of lawyer you need for the community you need. Though a lawyer is licensed throughout the state, it is a good idea to find a local one.

In other words, I am in Palm Springs and you don’t want to hire a Palm Springs lawyer for an Orange Co case. In those cases, I usually try to refer the potential client to a lawyer that is closer to where this happened.

Most DUI and Accident lawyers will offer a free consultation to review the facts. For other areas of law, many lawyers will bill for a consultation.

For a criminal case, success may depend on how the evidence was obtained and the details regarding the stop and arrest as well as a review of the facts of your case.

Call a local attorney to discuss in more detail and request an appointment...and/or please remember that the court will appoint a court-appointed lawyer for you on criminal cases, and that lawyer will have all the evidence in front of him/her and be in a better position to give you an intelligent answer.

Good Luck

A license to California attorney can represent you anywhere in the state. It makes sense however to hire someone who is local to you as they are familiar with local court processes, judges and prosecutors. The fee you would pay would correspond with the charge you have any criminal history you might have. Of course, if you lack any funds, you can apply for the public defenders help free of charge.