"I WROTE THE BOOKS ON HOW TO DEFEND CRIMINAL CASES"

Art of Perfect Defense

Guide to Criminal Defense

Know Your Rights

Sex Crime Defense Guide

Federal Charges

Strategies For Best Results

DUI Defense 

What To Know If Pulled Over

Domestic Violence 

Survival Guide if Charged

WHAT SETS US APART FROM THE REST

  • Worked for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
  • Right-hand man for an LA County Superior Court Judge
  • Former Commissioner for the State Bar of California
  • Tried Over 250 Jury Trials and Defended Over 10,000 Cases
  • Over 500 Reviews by Clients and Attorney Endorsements
  • A 30 Year Career in Criminal Defense Law in Los Angeles
  • Admitted to Practice Before the United States Supreme Court
  • Named Top Criminal Defense Attorney by the Los Angeles Times
  • Named Top 100 Criminal Lawyers by the Society of Legal Advocates
  • Decades of Combined Experience Litigating State and Federal Cases
  • Outstanding Professional Award for Achievement in Criminal Defense
  • Author of "The Art Of The Perfect Cross-Examination" Video - Ten Tips
  • Named Top 5 % By the Bar Register of Preeminent Criminal Lawyers
  • Well Known and Respected by Local LA County Judges and Prosecutors
  • Involved with Published Case by California Appeals Court and Legal Author
  • Seen on Television and Published in News Articles for Defending Clients

WHY DO WE ACHIEVE THE BEST POSSIBLE RESULTS FOR OUR CLIENTS?

First, it will take a local criminal defense attorney who frequently appears in the courthouse where your case is pending. That is simply common sense. We specialize in defending clients in all Los Angeles County and San Fernando Valley Superior Courts, including the Central Arraignment Court, Metropolitan Court, Clara Shortridge Foltz Court, LAX Airport Court, Compton Court, West Hollywood Court, Torrance Court, Long Beach Court, Santa Clarita Court, Lancaster Court, San Fernando Court, Van Nuys Court, Burbank Court, Glendale Court, and the Sylmar Juvenile Court.

If you do something all the time, know the people, know about criminal defense and the system and are well respected…you will be able to get the job done for your client. The criminal defense community is small, and everyone on the “inside” knows all the key players and how to get the result you are looking for!

I can not tell you how often I have been sitting in court and seeing an attorney from the city approaching the prosecutors and running smack into a buzzsaw! First, many criminal defense law firms nowadays use inexperienced attorneys to do the dirty work of actually going to court and fighting it out for the client.

These youngsters will be eaten alive by an experienced prosecutor at the preliminary hearing. Next, if their firm is in the city, they are probably more known in the Airport Court or the downtown Los Angeles Courthouses, and therefore, they do not know the temperament of the prosecutors and judges in the Valley.

On the other hand, if the client is looking to fight their case in a jury trial, then the attorney's locality to the courthouse is less important. However, they still must know the tendencies of the jury pool, the prosecutors, and the judges if they don't give their clients the best possible result. Like anything in life, it is not always what you know; it is who you know. And, in criminal defense, your attorney better knows the courthouse landscape your case is pending, or you will suffer the consequences of their shortcomings.

Over the past 25-plus years of practicing criminal defense, I have had thousands of court appearances, including arraignment, and tried hundreds of jury trials. There is no question that if one of my loved ones were in trouble, I would choose a local attorney over an outsider any day of the week. Often, there is a chance for prefiling intervention, which is negotiating with the law enforcement detectives and the prosecutor in an effort to avoid the formal charges before the court, called a "DA reject." 

DETENTION VS. ARREST

Also, I see them stop many vehicles, and during that stop, there can be either detention or an arrest. During detention, the police can do certain things, ask questions, and check certain things. 

Once they make an arrest, though, which is where the criminal process begins, they're going to need some probable cause that illegal activity is afoot.  If they arrest somebody unlawfully — search them, seize evidence — and then later, the defense attorney can argue that that search was illegal, that seizure was unlawful. Then, none of the evidence can be used against the client.

So, there's always a battle between a detention and an arrest because if it's an arrest, certain things are required.  If the police take custody of the person and start asking questions, then Miranda rights can apply. These rights, established by the Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona, ensure that a person in custody is informed of their right to remain silent and their right to an attorney before any police interrogation. 

That's one of the big battles when somebody is being stopped—whether in detention or arrested—and a criminal defense attorney has checked that out. After an arrest, the person will be transported to a community police station and held until the time of arraignment and formal charges are filed by the prosecutor. 

COURT ARRAIGNMENT AND PLEA

The next phase of a criminal case involves the prosecutors filing the claim, and you go to court, where the Judge sets bail. Then, you go to the arraignment, where you enter either a not-guilty, guilty, or no-contest plea. Sometimes, the arraignment is continued so the defense attorney can get more information and decide how to handle the case moving forward. 

PRELIMINARY HEARING

Once a not-guilty plea is entered, depending on whether the charge is a felony or a misdemeanor, the case will be sent to a preliminary hearing court if it's a felony. If it's a misdemeanor, it will be sent to a trial court. The motion phase will take over at that time, and the defense and prosecutor can file motions. 

You're not going to file a motion in every case, and you're not going to file the same motions in every case. It depends on what's involved and whether or not a motion is applicable. That's why you have to sit down with your attorney.  Give him all the information, go over the discovery in the case and decide the next move.

Recent Case Results

  • Probably one of my favorite memories in my 26-year career so far was a case where my client was charged with sexual battery.  He had gotten very intoxicated and did something stupid that he would normally not do. No criminal record, he had kids and he really didn't want to register as a sex offe... Read On

  • Years ago, I had a kidnapping case in one of the courts in Los Angeles county.  To protect the privacy of y client I won't say which of the 38 courts, but the bottom line is that the client was looking at life in prison.  It was a very serious case.  We tried it and I remember in August.  It was ... Read On

  • I tried a big murder case in Norwalk courthouse in the 1990s where my client and two of his friends went into a bar, ended into getting into a fight with some other patrons in the bar, guns were pulled out, fired, one person ended up dying and my client ended up getting charged with murder along ... Read On

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO WIN YOUR CASE?

This is a question that most people have to ask when they begin the difficult task of figuring out what to do after they have been arrested. Some may say that you should not be thinking about winning your case but surviving it! However, if you define “win” in a realistic way as it relates to what you did or did not do to get arrested, then I think you have a chance to win.

The vast majority of California criminal cases filed in Los Angeles are resolved through a negotiated settlement between the criminal defense attorney and the prosecutor. That is not to say that cases are not being fought and won in front of a jury.

It is saying that it is not suitable for salespeople or attorneys to tell potential clients when they call to inquire about their services to get their case dismissed or advertise that! This is irresponsible and does not make sense based on the statistics. So, the key is to define what a win truly means based on your circumstances. Should your case be fought all the way because you are innocent or negotiated to a fair resolution?

To help define what a win is to you, first, sit down with a seasoned criminal lawyer and tell them your story most fairly and honestly as you can. This way, they will feel what they can do to help you. You almost have to tell the story from the prosecutor's standpoint for the defense attorney to get a read on what they will be up against.

Once they have what the other side will say, they will begin to ask what your position is and delve into possible solutions that will resolve the matter. However, if you put a twist or spin on what happened, you are only hurting yourself in the long run. Eventually, your champion will be faced with the most challenging parts of your case, and if they were not told the truth from the beginning, then there is no way they will be in a position to help you.

ANATOMY OF A CRIMINAL CASE

Whenever you're talking about the pieces of a criminal case and how they work, the first thing you have to look at is the investigative phase.  In other words, the stage where the police or law enforcement are investigating and deciding whether to file a case.  Sometimes, the investigative phase goes very quickly. The police either view a crime or are called out to a scene, such as a domestic violence incident, determine that a crime has occurred, immediately arrest the person, and send it to the prosecutors to charge a person.

The investigative phase sometimes takes some time. Often, I am called during this stage. The client asks me to represent them, pre-file them, and act as a buffer between them and the police to make sure they don't do anything during the investigative phase to put themselves in a worse position.

A perfect example would be stating the police that incriminates them.  That's usually the best evidence the police and prosecutors can obtain — somebody making a statement that later is used to implicate them in a criminal case.

During the investigative phase, the police will execute search warrants, stop people, and stop cars. They'll also do surveillance, where they watch and videotape people, view them with their own eyes, and record what they see. They'll talk to witnesses and use other investigative techniques—searching documents, issuing subpoenas—all sorts of different things they can do. Eventually, they'll decide whether to file the case or not.

Misdemeanor crimes are the less serious crimes, such as disturbing the peace, trespassing, petty theft, shoplifting, public intoxication, and disorderly conduct. Under California law, a misdemeanor usually carries a sentence of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Some crimes can be charged as either a misdemeanor or felony, called a "wobbler," including criminal threats, child endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon, embezzlement, and receiving stolen property.

Felony crimes are the most serious and are described as offenses where you can be sentenced to more than one year in jail. Put simply, a felony conviction will typically result in serving time in a California state prison. Common felonies include first-degree residential burglary, robbery, drug possession with intent to sell, corporal injury to a spouse, manslaughter, attempted murder, and lewd acts with a minor. 

Our Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys have a record of success in all types of charges, including theft crimes such as grand theft, identity theft, credit card fraud, insurance fraud, health care fraud, and operating a chop shop. We also handle all state and federal drug offenses, such as drug trafficking, prescription drug fraud, and transportation of controlled substances.

Our law firm also handles any type of California domestic violence-related charges, such as domestic battery, child abuse, elder abuse, stalking, and restraining order violations. Further, we aggressively defend clients against violent crime charges like murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and weapons charges. Similarly, we represent those charged with a sex crime, such as sexual battery, revenge porn, sexting, rape, statutory rape, and sex offender registration.

We represent people accused of driving under the influence charges while impaired by alcohol or drugs or operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. We have a track record of success defending people charged with all types of DUI cases, such as hit and run, DUI causing injury, vehicular manslaughter, underage DUI, and an unlawful police stop. We also will represent you at your California DMV hearing. 

Our firm handles federal offenses, such as wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, federal drug offenses, and white-collar offenses. We also deal with juvenile crimes, bench warrants, three-strike cases, expungements, and probation violations. 

PLEA BARGAINING WITH PROSECUTOR

One of the most common ways to resolve a criminal case filed in Los Angeles County is for the defense to enter into a plea bargain negotiation with the prosecutors, the judge, or both, discuss the case, and attempt to find some sort of resolution.

This plea negotiation process involves the defense providing mitigating circumstances to the prosecutors and judges with character letters, the client's positive version of events, and any mitigating details the prosecutors don't already know because the police did a weak or incomplete investigation.

When your defense lawyer is familiar with the structure of the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and how it operates like a business, this is a huge advantage to the defendant and often results in the best possible outcome on their criminal charges. 

If the case is resolved, then that's what's called plea bargaining between the prosecutor and the defense attorney.  Sometimes, the judge will get involved in that process.  The person will end up agreeing to plead guilty or no contest as to a specific charge, or it will be some diversionary deal worked out. Then, that person will be sentenced by the judge depending on what type of plea bargain is entered between the defense attorney, the judge, and the prosecutor.

If there isn't a plea bargain in a case, and sometimes there is not for various reasons, a person may be innocent. They would fight the case as a felony, have a preliminary hearing, and ultimately go to trial. The jury would find them guilty or not guilty of the charge. If they're found guilty, then a judge would sentence them.

But sometimes we do what we call the litigation phase where we fight a case; we do the preliminary hearing, and we attack the prosecutor's witnesses and evidence — not so much because we necessarily think that we're entirely guilty, but because we want to do some damage to the prosecutor's case because by doing damage sometimes this will present the defendant's version of events and put the defendant in the best position to now work out a better resolution for them.

If you damage the prosecutor's case through cross-examination, you show the prosecutor that their case has some issues.  Maybe you point out that they've got the wrong charges against the defendant.  By getting some of those charges dismissed at a preliminary hearing, you're in a much stronger position to argue that your client shouldn't have to plead guilty to certain charges, and maybe lesser offenses should be charged against your client.

ARGUING FOR THE BEST RESOLUTION

So, if your case seems better after you do some litigation or some motions, you're now in a position to argue for a better resolution in the case. Other times, you're doing the litigation because the client has indicated they're innocent, and you want to fight the case and take it in front of a jury trial.

When it comes to negotiating a favorable plea bargain, one of the primary factors for a criminal defense attorney is to figure out what issues will make a difference with the prosecution. Numerous factors are to be considered, such as the defendant's prior criminal record, type of current crime, whether a victim was physically injured or emotionally harmed, and many others that prosecutors and judges will review. 

Further, we have to consider the jurisdiction where your criminal case is handled. For example, are you in one of the harshest jurisdictions for plea bargaining? I would consider Los Angeles County as one of the better jurisdictions.

We also have to look at who we plea bargaining with. Are we negotiating the case with the prosecutor or with the judge? If we are plea bargaining with the prosecutor, which is the normal procedure, what type of a prosecutor is it? What level of authority do they possess?

For example, are they a boss or just a general Deputy District Attorney or Deputy City Attorney? What level of authority do they have when it comes to the type of criminal case we are attempting to resolve favorably? If you are unable to work out a deal with them, then we might need to consider going to their boss. 

Part of the anatomy of a criminal case in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley is that if you're charged with a misdemeanor or a felony, you're entitled to have a jury trial where twelve members from the community will be picked. They will decide whether or not you're innocent or guilty of the crime.

The prosecutor will present evidence first because they have the burden of proof and because there's a presumption of innocence, and they have to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt against you. Once the prosecution is done, the defense has the option of putting on defense if they want to.

They don't have to.  A criminal defendant has an absolute right to testify or not to testify.  If a criminal defendant decides not to testify, that cannot be used against them. Then, ultimately, the jury will determine whether the person is innocent or guilty of the crime.

If they're found innocent, the case will be dismissed, and you will be able to go on your merry way. If, on the other hand, they're found guilty of any of the charges, then a sentencing date will be set, the judge will determine the ultimate sentence, and the case will be concluded.

In my experience, the first thing that is most effective for me in winning a criminal case is to have a winning attitude. When I walk into the courtroom to represent my client, I know the case inside and out, know exactly what I want to achieve for my client, and believe deep in my bones that I will get it.