Blog

I just heard on the news that there have been over 200 arrests recently for DUI-related cases in Los Angeles County.  The police are out in force, arresting people.  Not just the CHP who's the main culprit for catching people for DUIs, but law enforcement agencies across Los Angeles County. What you want to do is to...

Let's review the reasons why a prosecutor would dismiss a domestic violence case in California. I get a lot of calls from people who are charged with domestic violence, and of course, they all want to get their cases dismissed.  Sometimes, it is possible; other times, it's just simply not possible based on the facts and circumstances...

For those people who are involved in an accident and are driving under the influence of marijuana, alcohol, drugs, or a combination of any of those, and somebody gets seriously injured, they may have a GBI allegation against them.  That stands for “great bodily injury.”  The person will have to be pretty hurt...

California Penal Code 220 PC assault to commit a felony is a commonly charged crime where the authorities claim that you assaulted or accosted somebody and attempted to rape the person.  The rape is not effectuated.  They would also charge Penal Code 261 PC rape if it doesn't happen.  The defense to this...

Let’s review some of the best ways to get your criminal case dismissed in Los Angeles County Courts. I’ve been getting criminal cases dismissed in LA for the past 30+ years. I’ve got a lot of experience as a criminal defense attorney.  I’ve also worked for the district attorney’s office and a superior court judge early in...

Let’s review the best defense strategies if you’re charged with California Penal Code 261 PC rape of an unconscious person. PC 261 PC is the statute that defines rape as using force, threats, or fraud to have non-consensual sex with someone. A conviction is a felony typically punishable by three to eight years in prison...

For those people with a criminal case pending in the San Fernando Courthouse, you want to find an attorney to represent you who gets good results, and that’s where we come in. I’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.  I remember appearing in the San Fernando Courthouse after the 1994 Northridge earthquake...

If you or a loved one is charged with California Penal Code 187 PC murder, many different offenses can be asserted in these cases.  Of course, every single defense is not applicable in all murder cases.  You’ve got to look at the facts and the circumstances of what happened in the case and talk to an attorney with a lot...

Let’s review what you should know if you’re arrested for a domestic violence case in Encino, California. Our office is in Encino, and I have done a lot of domestic violence cases over the last 30 years. I’ve worked for the district attorney’s office and a superior court judge. In the early 1990s, I became a Los Angeles...

Over the past 30 years, I’ve defended many attorneys charged with domestic violence cases in Los Angeles. This is a crucial time in your life because being arrested, having to post a $50,000.00 bail, and having to appear in court is not only embarrassing, it could have many collateral consequences, including the... 

Let’s review what you should know about getting charged with a domestic violence case in the Van Nuys courthouse. I’ve defended people for domestic violence and spousal abuse cases in the Van Nuys court for the past 30 years. Thus, I’m very familiar with how they deal with these cases, how the police...

Let’s review what you should know about domestic violence cases in the San Fernando courthouse. If you or a loved one has a domestic violence case pending in this court, you want to make sure that you hire an attorney local to that courthouse. In other words, they know the courthouse, practice there, and...

I’ve represented many doctors over a 30+ year career in Los Angeles for domestic violence or spousal abuse-related offenses.  One of the first things we need to do is sit down and meet and talk about precisely what happened to determine whether we have a defense in the case. I wrote the book on defending...

Let’s review when someone likely receives prison time if charged with robbery, defined under California Penal Code 211 PC. Robbery is a serious charge, and prosecutors and judges are harsh regarding these offenses. The reason why is that it is considered a violent felony pursuant to the Three Strikes Law...

Let’s review why people who are charged with fentanyl drug charges are being treated so harshly.  Fentanyl is a hot drug, and the feds and states are prosecuting people at record numbers. The answer to that question about why they’re treating people so harshly and prosecuting people for fentanyl cases on...

Right now, remarkable things are happening for those people who are charged with California Penal Code 187 PC murder because the higher-up in the district attorney’s office in Los Angeles County is so weak and has such poor command of his office, prosecutors are doing what they want with the cases, and it...

This is a big question on people’s minds because they’re either charged with a strike in California that they don’t want to have to plead guilty to, or they have a prior strike conviction. They don’t want to get their sentence doubled, or even a sentence of 25 to life, so they or their family are trying to figure out what...

The California three strikes law has put many people in prison since the early 1990s when it was enacted. It’s meant to remove those career offenders who continue to get convicted and commit crimes year after year. When you have a third strike case, you face a minimum of 25 to life if convicted.  These...

The simple answer to the question of what crimes are considered strikes is that serious and violent felonies are considered strikes. To look at the list of those strikes, you have to look at Penal Code 667.5 PC, which talks about violent felonies, and Penal Code Section 1192.7, which talks about serious felonies...

For those people who are charged with California Penal Code 187 PC murder, who actually committed the crime, sometimes they have the option of arguing that Penal Code 192(a) PC voluntary manslaughter, which is a lesser included of murder, applies. Once you go to a jury trial, your attorney can ask the...

When is someone responsible for a California Penal Code 187 PC murder under the new felony murder rule? The felony murder rule has gotten much attention recently. The reason why is that many people have been convicted of murder which is undisputed is not the person that committed the murder...

Many times people who are charged with California Penal Code 187 PC murder make the argument that they did not know right from wrong at the time of the murder, and this can occur for several reasons. Maybe they’re suffering from mental illness, drug use, or both, and when they committed the murder...

Those charged with California Penal Code 261 rape face prison time, a strike on their record, and a lifetime of registration as a sex offender.  You want to get an attorney with much experience defending these cases. That would be my first piece of advice to you.  I’ve been doing this now for 30 years...

People's biggest fear is being taken into custody when arrested for a crime.  When it comes to jail or prison, these are the two potential options regarding your custody status.  Local county jail time, especially in LA County, is served in one of the three county jails. Prison can be served in numerous locations...

When it comes to California Penal Code 187 PC murder cases, if you are the person that killed the other individual, you’re going to have to come up with a defense, or you’re going to have to try to have your attorney work out some resolution with the prosecutor. The problem in many of these murder...