My question involves criminal law for the state of: California (Los Angeles).
Hi.
A friend was arrested awhile back. At the time, the Sergeant said it was for "interfering." They took him to the police station. He thought he would be released with some kind of citation. Instead, they told him he was going to jail for battery. There were multiple witnesses at the scene.
He was held for 4 days (including 2 weekend days) on the Battery of a P.O. charge and then released without explanation. Apparently, the D.A. dropped the charges, though we don't know for what reason.
Several days later, a letter arrived stating a new charge had been filed with the City Attorney's office, "resisting a public/peace officer." This letter came from the city attorney's office, rather than the D.A.'s.
He received several "legal advertisements" and contacted some of the firms. One lawyer said he has never had a city attorney hearing NOT end in dismissal in 30 years of law practice, and that he would guarantee the result (or money back). Another lawyer said much the same thing except without the guarantee, but charged half as much. They didn't even ask much about the details of the case. It was just the fact that it was a City Attorney hearing that made them so confident (supposedly).
Is the City Attorney hearing such an obvious signal of a weak case, and if so, is an attorney even needed to get the case dropped? Or are these attorneys not being honest?
I'm just trying to figure out if A.) will $500-$1000 paid to a lawyer really almost guarantee dismissal? Or B.) Are the lawyers exaggerating how easy this will be? or C.) If it is really THAT easy, is a lawyer even needed to get it done?
Thank you everyone for reading and considering these questions. I hope this wasn't too long.

