Los Angeles County has over 25 separate courthouses that cover many different jurisdictions related to sex crime offenses. To find the best sex crime defense attorney, you want to get somebody familiar with dealing with these jurisdictions.
Because within the jurisdictions, there are judges that handle cases. There are sex crime prosecutors specially assigned to sex crime cases, and of course, there's a whole court staff and dynamic related to particular sex crime defenses.
So, when I have somebody come in and meet with me who is being charged with a sex crime, and they're looking for the best defense attorney, we're going to be able to talk about:
- which court is handling your case,
- what that jurisdiction does with your type of case,
- who their judge is likely to be,
- who the prosecutor will likely be on their case, and
- then, we can start to plan our defense.
The first thing we're going to do is assess whether or not you can win the case. If we can mount a defense through motions or defending the case at a jury trial, we will investigate the case and set things up in a particular manner.
On the other hand, suppose it's a situation where we will have to negotiate with the prosecutors and maybe the judge because they have the evidence against you? In that case, we're going to take a different approach.
This includes gathering character letters and setting things up, possibly by doing a California Penal Code 288.1 report, which assesses whether or not you're likely to be a recidivist and do something like this again or even branch out and do something more serious.
These are the types of things prosecutors and judges are concerned about regarding sex-related offenses. Our California criminal defense lawyers will review this topic further below.
What Are the Most Common Sexual-Related Charges in California?
- Penal Code 311 PC – possessing child pornography,
- Penal Code 647.6 PC – child molestation,
- Penal Code 220 PC – assault with intent to commit felony,
- Penal Code 288 PC – lewd acts with a minor,
- Penal Code 288a PC – oral copulation with a minor,
- Penal Code 290 PC – failing to register as a sex offender,
- Penal Code 314 PC – indecent exposure,
- Penal Code 647(b) PC – solicitation of prostitution,
- Penal Code 243.4 PC - sexual battery,
- Penal Code 261 PC – rape,
- Penal Code 264.1 PC – gang rape,
- Penal Code 261.5 PC – statutory rape,
- Penal Code 266 PC – enticing a child to prostitution,
- Penal Code 266h and 266i PC – pimping and pandering,
- Penal Code 269 PC – aggravated sexual abuse of a child,
- Penal Code 288.4 PC – arrange a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes,
- Penal Code 288.3 PC - contact minor to commit a felony,
- Penal Code 288.2 PC – send harmful material to a minor,
- Penal Code 288.5 PC - continuous sexual abuse of a child,
- Penal Code 647(a) PC – lewd conduct in public,
- Penal Code 647(J)(4) PC – revenge porn,
- Penal Code 653.22 PC - loitering for prostitution,
- Penal Code 653.23 PC - supervising or aiding prostitution.
Why is Experience in the Local Court Important?
So, if you want the best, first and foremost, you must get somebody local to the court where your case is pending. Experience with the judge who will rule over your case and experience with the prosecutor who will decide what charges are filed against you. This type of experience is crucial in the defense of our clients.
In other words, is it an attorney who has practiced in that court and has familiarity with it, or is it someone who has no experience, which is what you don't want?
So, when you're looking and talking about the best sex crime defense attorney, get someone who knows the court, the prosecutors, and the judges and can devise a good plan.
Why is Experience with My Specific Charges Important?
You also want somebody with experience handling the type of case you are being charged with. So, we do another thing when we have you come in.
We talk about your case, what facts and details the prosecutors have to prove it, and what they don't have. As we're doing that evaluation, we're looking toward what we will do with this case.
What are you facing? That's another big thing about the best sex crime defense attorney. We want to get you the lowest common denominator.
Will You Have to Register as a Sex Offender?
We will be assessing whether or not you're facing sex registration. If so, for how long under the three-tier system, or is it possible to get you a charge that does not include sex registration?
I can tell you that having done sex crimes for nearly 30 years, probably about 95% of the crimes, you have to register as a sex offender.
There's only a tiny percentage of sex-related crimes that you don't have to register as a sex offender, so that becomes crucial if you have a case where you have a chance not to have to register as a sex offender. Then you've got to look at the three-tier system. There are some crimes where:
- you have to register for ten years;
- other crimes you have to register for 20 years; and
- there's that class of severe sex offenses where you must register with your local law enforcement agency for the rest of your life.
So, as you review this post and check out my videos and my website, I think you'll start to see that I am one of the top sex crime defense attorneys in Los Angeles.
I can tell you right now, in my experience, there are very few of the best, so you want to make sure that if you're going to hire somebody, you hire somebody that knows what they're doing, has the experience, and can do the best they can to help you.
The Hedding Law Firm is located in Los Angeles County. We serve people throughout Southern California. Our firm offers a free case consultation by phone, or you can fill out the contact form.
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