Schwab Law defends criminal and DUI charges in Bellevue through the firm’s Western Division. One thing worth knowing before you start reading about your case: Bellevue does not have its own municipal court. The City contracts with King County District Court, so a Bellevue misdemeanor is heard at the District Court’s East Division courthouse in Bellevue.
How we help Bellevue clients
Because Bellevue cases run through King County District Court rather than a city court, a good deal of the advice written for other Washington cities does not transfer. The prosecutor is the Bellevue City Attorney, the court is the county’s, and the practices belong to the District Court rather than to a municipal bench.
Which court will hear my Bellevue case?
Misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors prosecuted by the City of Bellevue are heard in King County District Court, East Division, at the Bellevue courthouse. Bellevue is one of several King County cities — along with Burien, Redmond and Shoreline — that contract with the District Court rather than operating a municipal court of their own.
Felony charges are a different track. Those are filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney in King County Superior Court, which sits at the King County Courthouse in Seattle and at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
What charges do we handle in Bellevue?
- DUI and physical control, plus the Department of Licensing case
- Reckless driving, negligent driving and driving while suspended
- Domestic violence allegations and no-contact orders
- Assault in the fourth degree and felony assault
- Theft, shoplifting and property crimes
- Drug possession charges
- Protection order petitions and responses
What does a conviction actually cost beyond the sentence?
The sentence is rarely the part that lasts. A criminal conviction appears on background checks run by employers, landlords and licensing boards, and some professional licenses carry their own reporting duties that are triggered by the charge rather than the outcome.
A DUI conviction in Washington is permanent — it cannot be vacated at any point — and it counts as a prior offense if there is ever another. Those consequences are why the charge itself is usually worth contesting, not just the penalty attached to it.
Questions from Bellevue clients
Is there a Bellevue Municipal Court?
No. The City of Bellevue contracts with King County District Court for court services, so Bellevue misdemeanor cases are heard in District Court at the East Division courthouse in Bellevue rather than in a city court.
Who prosecutes a Bellevue misdemeanor?
The Bellevue City Attorney’s Office prosecutes misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors charged under city and state law. Felonies are prosecuted by the King County Prosecuting Attorney in Superior Court.
