Persian-speaking attorney in Irvine: where Irvine criminal and family cases go

The Law Office of Sourena Sarbazevatan is at 200 Spectrum Center Drive, Suite 300, Irvine, and handles criminal and family cases in English and Persian (Farsi). The Irvine Police Department provides law enforcement for the city, and the court lists Irvine among the places served by the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, with felony hearings also listed in Santa Ana. Irvine divorce, custody and family restraining order cases go to the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange.

The court buildings that hear Irvine criminal and family cases are all outside the city, so an Irvine family facing a criminal charge or a divorce has to learn which building, which agency and which deadline applies before anything else. This page maps that out for Irvine, and the full list of criminal and family matters the office handles is on the practice areas page.

Irvine is also home to close to three in ten of Orange County's residents of Iranian ancestry. The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020 to 2024 five-year estimates) counts 11,648 Irvine residents reporting Iranian ancestry, about 3.7% of the city's 311,690 people, out of 39,737 people reporting Iranian ancestry in all of Orange County. For a Persian speaker in Irvine, the questions on this page arrive in two languages at once.

How an Irvine case moves, step by step

1. The police contact. The Irvine Police Department provides law enforcement services for the city of Irvine. Its station is at 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, CA 92606, and the department divides the city into three patrol areas: Crossroads, University and Portola.
2. Custody or a citation. A person held in custody must see a judge within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays (Pen. Code § 825(a)(1)), and that first appearance may be in Department CJ1 at the Men's Central Jail in Santa Ana, which hears select hearings from the Harbor Justice Center. A person cited and released goes to the court on the paper.
3. The misdemeanor court. The Orange County Superior Court lists Irvine among the places served by the Harbor Justice Center, 4601 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, for traffic, minor offense and criminal matters. The page on what to expect at the Harbor Justice Center covers parking, security and interpreters there.
4. The felony court. The Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, lists all Orange County cities for various felony and mental health hearings, so part of a felony case from Irvine can be heard in Santa Ana. See what to expect at the Central Justice Center.
5. A DUI arrest. Alongside the court case, the DMV notice starts a 10-day window to request a hearing before a suspension takes effect (Veh. Code § 13558(b)).
6. A family case. Divorce, legal separation and annulment papers for Orange County are filed only at the Lamoreaux Justice Center, 341 The City Drive South, Orange, which also handles family law and domestic violence matters for all Orange County cities. The page on what to expect at the Lamoreaux Justice Center covers the building.
7. Police records. Copies of Irvine police reports are requested online or in person at the Irvine Police Department Business Desk; the department lists a fee of $10.00 per report plus a 2.4% convenience fee.

The Persian-speaking community in Irvine, in Census figures

Those last two rows matter in court. More than 4,000 people in these two Irvine Census areas who speak Persian at home told the Census Bureau they speak English less than "very well", and the Orange County court provides free interpreters in all criminal cases, in domestic violence cases and in family cases about custody or visitation. The state court self-help guide adds that a relative is usually not allowed to act as the interpreter in the courtroom.

Persian-language consultations with the Irvine office

Sourena Sarbazevatan is licensed by the State Bar of California (active, #351174, admitted November 23, 2023), and the State Bar lists 200 Spectrum Center Drive, Suite 300, Irvine as his address of record. The office represents people in Orange County and San Diego County in criminal and family matters, and consultations are available in English and Persian (Farsi). Clients can contact the office by phone at (949) 591-9596 or through the contact page. The office does not give immigration advice; a client who is not a U.S. citizen should also speak with an immigration attorney. To read more about the attorney, see about Sourena Sarbazevatan.

What changes the answer?

• Misdemeanor or felony. The court lists Irvine at Harbor for criminal matters, and lists all cities at the Central Justice Center for various felony hearings, so a felony can move between Newport Beach and Santa Ana.
• In custody or released. The 48-hour rule applies only to a person held in custody (Pen. Code § 825(a)(1)), and any California attorney may visit at the request of the person or a relative (§ 825(b)). The page on what happens between arrest and arraignment explains those hours.
• A DUI stop. The Irvine Police Department announced a DUI and driver's license checkpoint on September 26, 2026, 7:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., near Jamboree Road and Michelson Drive, funded by a California Office of Traffic Safety grant, and says checkpoint locations are chosen using collision and DUI arrest data. After any DUI arrest, the 10-day DMV deadline applies (Veh. Code § 13558(b)), as the page on the 10-day DMV deadline explains.
• A domestic violence call. A criminal court must consider a criminal protective order on its own motion in a domestic violence case (Pen. Code § 136.2(e)), while a family court at Lamoreaux can issue its own restraining order (Fam. Code § 6320). The Irvine Police Department Business Desk takes reports of restraining order violations and of custody or visitation order violations.
• Getting the police report. The Irvine Police Department says it does not release an arrest report to a requester who was recently arrested and has not yet appeared in court.
• Citizenship. Before a guilty or no contest plea, the judge must read an advisement that a conviction may have immigration consequences (Pen. Code § 1016.5(a)). The page on how a California criminal case can affect a green card or visa explains what the statutes require.

A worked example

For example, imagine a married couple in their forties living in Irvine's 92612 ZIP code, both born in Iran. This is a hypothetical, not a real case. A loud argument at home leads a neighbor to call the police. Irvine officers arrive, and the husband is arrested on suspicion of domestic battery and held overnight.

His sister searches for him and learns that his first appearance is set in Department CJ1 in Santa Ana, not in Irvine. At the hearing, the judge issues a criminal protective order that keeps him out of the family home while the case is open, and the misdemeanor case is sent to the Harbor Justice Center. He asks the courtroom for a Persian interpreter, because the legal terms are hard to follow in English.

His wife, meanwhile, is deciding whether to file for divorce. That case would be filed at Lamoreaux in Orange, a different court with its own process. If their Iranian marriage certificate, which includes a mahr clause, is filed as an exhibit, it must be accompanied by an English translation certified under oath by a qualified interpreter (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1110(g)). The pages on criminal protective orders and the separate family process at Lamoreaux are where each of them would start.

Mistakes Irvine families make in the first days

• Driving to the wrong building. The courts for these cases are outside Irvine; criminal matters are listed at Harbor in Newport Beach, felony hearings can be in Santa Ana, and family cases are in Orange.
• Asking the police for the arrest report too early. The Irvine Police Department does not release it to a recently arrested requester before the court appearance.
• Missing the DMV deadline. The 10 days run from receipt of the DMV notice, which can be before the first court date.
• Contacting the protected person. The Orange County court warns that a restrained person who violates an order may be arrested and charged.
• Relying on a relative to interpret. Ask the court for its free interpreter.
• Entering a plea before immigration advice. A noncitizen should get that advice first.

What to do this week

1. Find the court, date and department on the citation or release paper and confirm them online.
2. If there was a DUI arrest, count 10 days from receiving the DMV notice.
3. Write down the time of the police contact, the officers' names if known, and any witnesses.
4. If there is a protective order, read it closely and follow it from the moment it is served.
5. Use the page on the first week after an Orange County arrest to gather documents.
6. If you are not a U.S. citizen, contact an immigration attorney before any plea.
7. Contact the office through the contact page or by phone to speak in English or Persian.

Guides for Irvine clients

Criminal defense:

• How bail works in California and how to get released before trial
• How a DUI case works in Orange County and San Diego
• Assault and battery charges in California
• What a domestic violence charge means for your case, your home and your children
• Theft or fraud charges in California and their penalties
• Weapon and firearm charges in California
• Sexual assault and sex offense charges in California
• Drug charges in California and what Prop. 36 changed
• Clearing a criminal record with a dismissal under Penal Code 1203.4

Family law:

• How divorce works in California, from filing to final judgment
• How California courts decide child custody and visitation
• How child support and spousal support are decided in California
• How property is divided in a California divorce
• Premarital and marital agreements in California
• Whether a mahr (mehrieh) is enforceable in a California divorce
• Whether property in Iran is divided in a California divorce
• Whether the half-property clause in an Iranian marriage contract matters
• Divorcing in California after marrying in Iran
• Whether a divorce granted in Iran is recognized in California

Clients who live along the coast can read our page for Newport Beach and Newport Coast.

Families further south can read our page for Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest and Aliso Viejo.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a courthouse in Irvine?

The courts that hear Irvine criminal and family cases are outside the city. The Orange County court lists Irvine among the places served by the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach for criminal matters, and family cases for every Orange County city go to the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange.

Where is the Irvine Police Department?

At 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, CA 92606. The main line is (949) 724-7000 and non-emergency dispatch is (949) 724-7200; for an emergency, call 911.

How do I get a copy of an Irvine police report?

Through the department's online request form or in person at the Business Desk, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Some reports need a detective's approval, which the department says can take up to 10 days.

Can I talk to the attorney in Persian?

Yes. Consultations are available in English and Persian (Farsi), and clients can contact the office by phone or through the contact page.

Does the office handle immigration cases?

No. The office handles criminal and family matters and does not give immigration advice. A noncitizen with a criminal case should also speak with an immigration attorney.

Does the office handle cases outside Irvine?

Yes. The office represents people in Orange County and San Diego County; it has no San Diego office.

The Law Office of Sourena Sarbazevatan represents people in Orange County and San Diego in criminal defense and family law matters, in English and Persian (Farsi). Call (949) 591-9596 or use the contact page.