dictionary

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Actor Robert Downey Jr. will plead no contest to drug charges in a tentative plea agreement that will allow him to avoid jail time, his lawyer told CNN on Wednesday.

Under the agreement, Downey will be sent to a drug rehabilitation program rather than jail, said James Epstein, part of the actor's new legal team.

"It will be a minimum of some time at a 24 hour live-in facility," Epstein said. "Mr. Downey is getting what he wants. He wants help. He's not getting jail time. What's not to be happy about?"

Downey, 36, was arrested Thanksgiving weekend at the Merv Griffin Resort in Palm Springs, California, after police responded to a 911 caller reporting someone in the room had guns and drugs. No weapons were found.

He recently pleaded not guilty to a felony count of cocaine possession, one misdemeanor count of Valium possession and one misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance. A hearing has been set for July 16.

Epstein said he did not expect he and prosecutors would reach a final plea agreement before the hearing.

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Robert Downey Jr. Profile Timeline Gallery     LEGAL RESOURCES Latest Legal News Law Library FindLaw Consumer Center Select a topic Bankruptcy Discrimination Divorce Estate Planning Landlord-Tenant Personal Injury Taxes

"There are some technical things that need to be worked out," he said.

The deal was made public hours after lawyers announced Downey had hired a new legal team to represent him. Epstein would not say why the actor made the change. Neither did Daniel Brookman, one of Downey's former attorneys, who said in a written statement Wednesday that his office had achieved its goal of obtaining rehabilitation for Downey rather than incarceration.

Downey has battled drug addiction for years. The actor, who recently co-starred on the hit TV series "Ally McBeal," was released from state prison in August after serving time for violating his probation on other drug-related offenses.

He also faces charges of violating his probation after a separate April 24 arrest for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Prosecutors did not file criminal charges in that case, but allowed state correction officials to handle it as a parole violation instead. If convicted, Downey could be returned to state prison.

Downey is now free on $15,000 bond and staying at a mandatory six-month-minimum live-in drug treatment facility in Southern California. Epstein said his client is "doing as well as can be expected."

In 1992, Downey was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor for his performance in "Chaplin."

Earlier this year, Downey's role in "Ally McBeal" earned him a Golden Globe trophy and the Screen Actors Guild Award as best supporting actor. After his April arrest, the show's producers announced they would not use the actor for the rest of the season.