If you are arrested in Hattiesburg, you must be brought before a judge within 48 hours. City misdemeanors are heard in Hattiesburg Municipal Court at 701 James Street. Felonies go through the grand jury to Forrest County Circuit Court at 630 Main Street. And because Hattiesburg sits in two counties, cases from the Lamar County side of town are heard in Purvis. We defend clients in every one of those courts, and our office at 525 Corinne Street is blocks from the Forrest County jail. Call (601) 582-5015 before you talk to anyone.
- Initial appearance within 48 hours of arrest under Rule 5.1 of the Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure
- Bond advocacy under Rule 8 at Hattiesburg Municipal, Justice, or Circuit Court
- Preliminary hearings to test probable cause before the case reaches the grand jury
- Felony defense in the 12th District at 630 Main Street and the 15th District in Purvis
- Three attorneys on the federal Criminal Justice Act panel for the Southern District of Mississippi
A Hattiesburg Defense Team That Works These Courtrooms Every Week
Lowrey, Fortner, & Miri P.A. has defended people in Hattiesburg since 1980. Our office sits at 525 Corinne Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, blocks from the Forrest County jail at 300 Main Street and minutes from every criminal courtroom in town. When you call (601) 582-5015, you reach lawyers who stand in these courthouses week after week.
We have handled hundreds of cases in Hattiesburg Municipal Court and represented thousands of clients at initial appearances across the Pine Belt. We know the judges, the prosecutors, and the local rules, and that local knowledge shapes everything from how we argue bond to when we push for a preliminary hearing.
This page covers what happens in Hattiesburg specifically: which court hears what, what follows an arrest here, and who on our team will stand next to you. For the statewide picture of charges and defenses, start with our criminal defense overview.
Which Hattiesburg Court Will Hear Your Case
Hattiesburg is unusual. The city sits in two counties, Forrest and Lamar, and the courthouse you report to depends on the charge and on which side of the county line it happened. Check your paperwork before your court date, because showing up at the wrong building costs you time you do not have.
Hattiesburg Municipal Court
701 James Street, Public Safety Complex. Handles city misdemeanors, traffic violations, and first-offense DUI cases, and conducts initial appearances and preliminary hearings for felony charges filed by Hattiesburg police. Trials here are typically held before the judge, not a jury. Our guide to Hattiesburg Municipal Court walks through arraignment day step by step.
Forrest County Justice Court
641 North Main Street, Hattiesburg. Justice court handles misdemeanor initial appearances and trials for charges that arise in Forrest County outside the city limits, and it hears preliminary hearings in felony cases. If a misdemeanor bond needs to be reduced, the motion is filed here.
Forrest County Circuit Court
630 Main Street, Hattiesburg. Felonies are prosecuted here after grand jury indictment. The court anchors Mississippi’s 12th Circuit District, which covers both Forrest and Perry Counties, so the docket is shared. Arraignment, discovery, motions, plea negotiations, and jury trials all happen in this building. Here is what to expect at Forrest County Circuit Court.
Lamar County Courts in Purvis
203 Main Street, Purvis. Much of Hattiesburg and Oak Grove sits outside the city limits in unincorporated Lamar County. If your case arose on that side of town, it is heard in Purvis, in the 15th Circuit District. Our Lamar County courts guide explains which building is which, and our Lamar County defense page covers the local process.
Charged in a neighboring county? We cover those courthouses too. Start with our Forrest County page or see all areas we serve.
What Happens After an Arrest in Hattiesburg
The process runs on deadlines, and the early ones only help you if someone enforces them. Here is the path a Hattiesburg criminal case follows and what we do at each stage.
Police transport you for booking: personal information, photographs, fingerprints, and a basic health screening. No interview is required, and none is wise. You have the right to a phone call. Use it to reach family or a lawyer, and remember that most Mississippi jails record inmate calls except those to attorneys.
Under Rule 5.1 of the Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure, you must be brought before a judge within 48 hours of arrest, often by video from the jail. The judge informs you of the charges and your rights and sets conditions of release. If the deadline passes on a bailable charge, the rule requires release on an appearance bond in the minimum amount.
The judge weighs the charge, your record, community ties, employment, and flight risk. Rule 8.2 starts with a presumption of release on personal recognizance or an appearance bond and requires the least onerous conditions that will assure your appearance. We present employment records, family ties, and character evidence to argue for release or the lowest bond. See our bond and bail reduction page.
For a felony, you can demand a preliminary hearing in municipal or justice court, and it must be held within 14 days of the demand unless the grand jury indicts first. The prosecutor must show probable cause, and we can cross-examine the state’s witnesses. Even when a case is bound over, the hearing locks in the prosecution’s story early and shows us the evidence.
Grand juries meet by court term, not on demand, so the wait is often 4 to 12 weeks and can run longer. You and your lawyer do not attend. The grand jury votes to indict or to no-bill the case, and a no-bill means the charge is dismissed. We use the waiting period to preserve evidence, interview witnesses, and negotiate, because many cases resolve before indictment.
After indictment you are arraigned at 630 Main Street and plead guilty or not guilty. Mississippi does not allow no-contest pleas in felony cases. Then come discovery, motion practice, and plea negotiations. Mississippi law generally requires trial within 270 days of arraignment unless good cause is shown, and you have the right to a trial before a jury of twelve.
For a closer look at the early stage, read The First 48 Hours After an Arrest in Mississippi. For the long middle stretch, our arrest-to-indictment timeline explains why the wait happens and how to use it.
Misdemeanor or Felony: Where the Line Falls
A misdemeanor in Mississippi is punishable by up to one year in county jail and stays in municipal or justice court. A city ordinance violation in Hattiesburg Municipal Court carries up to 90 days in jail, a fine, or both. A felony is punishable by time in state custody, normally requires a grand jury indictment, and is tried in circuit court. That single classification decides your courtroom, your right to a jury at the first level, and how long the consequences follow you.
The line can move. Shoplifting of $1,000 or less is a misdemeanor, but over $1,000 it becomes a felony punished like grand larceny. A felony charge can also be reduced to a misdemeanor through negotiation with the prosecutor, which avoids the lasting collateral consequences that follow a felony conviction. The exception is DUI, which by statute cannot be reduced to a lesser charge. And a municipal court conviction is not final. You can appeal for a trial de novo, a brand-new trial, in county court, where a jury is available.
The full comparison, including collateral consequences and how charges move between court levels, is on our felony vs. misdemeanor page. If your charge involves drugs, drunk driving, or an outstanding warrant, start with our drug crimes, Hattiesburg DUI, or warrants pages.
Why Local Court Experience Matters Here
Criminal defense is local work. A lawyer who appears in the same courtrooms week after week knows the local judges and their preferences, which can matter. That lawyer knows how the 12th District docket moves when it is shared with Perry County, and knows which building in Purvis your Lamar County case belongs in when the paperwork is confusing.
We have handled hundreds of cases in Hattiesburg Municipal Court. We file bond reduction motions routinely and understand the judges and courts in the Pine Belt. And because grand juries meet by court term, we know how to plan around a calendar that can look slow and confusing from the outside, using the waiting period to negotiate instead of just waiting.
Location helps too. Our office is blocks from the Forrest County jail, so we can be at an initial appearance fast. And a practical note for families: conversations with your lawyer in the attorney conference room are privileged. Jail phone calls are not, and most Mississippi jails record them.
If someone you love is in custody right now, call (601) 582-5015. The initial appearance happens within 48 hours whether or not anyone is there to argue for release.
The Attorneys Who Handle Hattiesburg Criminal Cases
Three of our attorneys serve on the federal Criminal Justice Act panel for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, which appoints panel attorneys to defend federal criminal cases. That federal work sits on top of decades of state court defense here in Hattiesburg. Facing federal charges? See our federal criminal defense page.
Tom Fortner
Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. More than 40 years of criminal defense in state and federal court, including service as Public Defender for Jackson County and Hinds County.
A. Arman Miri
Leads the firm’s criminal defense practice and serves as the City of Hattiesburg Public Defender. A defender in both the state and federal systems, from county and city public defender roles to federal appointments under the Criminal Justice Act. Named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 for criminal defense. Has tried cases to verdict including capital murder, and sits on the CJA appellate panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which appoints him to handle federal criminal appeals.
Valorie G. Cochran
Defends DUI, misdemeanor, and felony charges across the Pine Belt, with close attention to the lawfulness of traffic stops and the reliability of chemical testing.
Related Criminal Defense Services
The full practice hub: charges, defenses, and courts across Mississippi.
Bond types, Rule 8 factors, and reduction motions in local courts.
Local representation for DUI cases in Hattiesburg courts.
Possession, distribution, and trafficking charges in Mississippi.
Arrest and bench warrants, and how to address them safely.
Who qualifies to clear a Mississippi record and how the petition works.
Challenging convictions and sentences after trial.
Felony defense in the 12th Circuit Court District.
Justice, municipal, and 15th District circuit courts in Purvis.
Plain answers on bond, grand juries, expungement, and more.
What Clients Say About Our Defense Team
Rated 4.7 out of 5 on Google • Avvo 10.0 with a 5.0 client rating for our lead criminal defense partner
“Mr. Miri represented me in a felony criminal matter and was able to get the case dismissed.”
Avvo Review
“Great team to work with. Very professional, responsive, and handled my case smoothly from start to finish. I’m very satisfied with the outcome and highly recommend them.”
Google Review
“Armand Miri was my attorney and he was open, honest and straight to the point. He worked so hard for me. I was looking at life and I got 2yrs time served.”
Google Review
Reviews are from actual clients on Google and Avvo. Every case is different, prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Hattiesburg Criminal Defense FAQs
Which court will my Hattiesburg criminal case be in?
It depends on the charge and where it happened. City misdemeanors, traffic violations, and first-offense DUI cases from Hattiesburg police arrests are heard in Hattiesburg Municipal Court at 701 James Street. Felonies are prosecuted in Forrest County Circuit Court at 630 Main Street after grand jury indictment. If the offense happened outside the city limits, or on the Lamar County side of town, your case may be in the Lamar County courts in Purvis instead.
What happens in the first 48 hours after an arrest in Hattiesburg?
Police book you at the jail, which includes photographs, fingerprints, and a basic health screening. Mississippi law then requires an initial appearance before a judge within 48 hours of arrest under Rule 5.1 of the Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure. At that hearing the judge informs you of the charges and your rights and decides your bond. If you are arrested on a Friday, you must see a judge by Sunday.
How fast can a lawyer start working on my case at the Forrest County jail?
The same day you call. Our office at 525 Corinne Street is blocks from the Forrest County jail at 300 Main Street, and we appear at initial appearances in Hattiesburg Municipal Court, Forrest County Justice Court, and Forrest County Circuit Court. One warning while you wait: most Mississippi jails record inmate phone calls, so do not discuss the facts of your case on a jail phone. Conversations with your lawyer in the attorney conference room are privileged.
Do you handle both Forrest County and Lamar County cases?
Yes. Hattiesburg sits in two counties, so we work on both sides of the line. Forrest County felonies run through the 12th District circuit court at 630 Main Street in Hattiesburg. Lamar County cases are heard in Purvis, where the Circuit and County Court building sits at 203 Main Street in the 15th Circuit District. We defend clients in both, along with the municipal courts in between.
How is bond set after a Hattiesburg arrest?
At the initial appearance, which must happen within 48 hours of arrest. Under Rule 8 of the Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure, the judge weighs the seriousness of the charge, your criminal history, ties to the community, employment, and flight risk. The Mississippi Constitution guarantees the right to bail in most cases. Bond can be cash, surety through a bonding company, property, or release on your own recognizance, which is a written promise to appear with no money posted.
What if I cannot afford the bond the judge sets?
Bond is not set in stone. Your attorney can file a bond reduction motion, in justice court for a misdemeanor or in circuit court for a felony, showing changed circumstances, new employment, or evidence that the original bond did not comply with Rule 8. Rule 8.2 starts with a presumption of release on personal recognizance or an appearance bond, and the judge must impose the least onerous conditions that will assure your appearance.
Where do preliminary hearings happen for Hattiesburg felony charges?
In municipal or justice court, depending on where the charge arose. For Hattiesburg police arrests, that usually means Hattiesburg Municipal Court at 701 James Street; Forrest County Justice Court is at 641 North Main Street. If you demand a preliminary hearing before the grand jury indicts you, it must be held within 14 days. The prosecutor has to show probable cause, and your attorney can cross-examine the state’s witnesses.
How long before a felony case reaches Forrest County Circuit Court?
Usually months. After the preliminary hearing stage, the case goes to the grand jury, and grand juries in Mississippi meet by court term, not on demand. Depending on when the term begins, the wait is often 4 to 12 weeks, and it can stretch longer. The 12th District docket also covers Perry County, so Forrest County cases share court time. Once you are indicted and arraigned, Mississippi law generally requires trial within 270 days unless good cause is shown.
Do I have to answer questions from Hattiesburg police?
No. You have the right to remain silent. Tell the officer you want to speak with a lawyer, and questioning must stop. Even innocent people can misspeak under pressure, and a minor contradiction can be used to attack your credibility later. Say nothing about the facts of your case to anyone except your attorney.
Can I get a jury trial for a misdemeanor in Hattiesburg?
Not at the first level. Hattiesburg Municipal Court trials are typically held before the judge, not a jury. The safety valve is the appeal: a municipal court conviction can be appealed for a trial de novo, meaning a brand-new trial, in county court, and on appeal you can request a jury. Felony charges are different. You have the right to a trial before a jury of twelve in circuit court.
Do your Hattiesburg attorneys handle federal criminal charges?
Yes. Three of our attorneys, Tom Fortner, Arman Miri, and Valorie Cochran, serve on the federal Criminal Justice Act panel for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, which appoints panel attorneys to defend federal criminal cases. Arman Miri also sits on the CJA appellate panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which appoints him to handle federal criminal appeals.
Can a Hattiesburg conviction be removed from my record later?
Sometimes. Under Mississippi Code Section 99-19-71, a first offender convicted of a misdemeanor other than a traffic violation can petition the court where the conviction happened, and the statute sets no waiting period. One eligible felony can be expunged five years after all terms of the sentence are completed, though some felonies are excluded. And if the grand jury no-bills your case, you can petition to expunge the arrest record once the case is closed.