Category: Criminal Defense

When Searching for a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney – Get the Right Information Versus Your Own Wishful Thinking I can’t tell you how many times people call me who have gotten themselves whipped up into a tizzy.  They’re worried about their criminal case in Los Angeles. They’re looking for a criminal defense attorney and they’ve already got a whole story spun in their head with their own information. They’ve talk to some people over the internet who probably either aren’t attorneys or who are attorneys who really aren’t paying attention to what they’re saying. They don’t have the details… Read More

This is probably one of the biggest effects of a criminal case in Los Angeles or anywhere.  When you’re charged, you’re facing jail or prison time, when your reputation is on the line, when you may have to go to a jury trial, you can’t stop worrying. When you’re waiting to go to court, face the judge — there’s that confusion and there’s that not knowing what’s going on — it’s a loss of control that people just really can’t deal with and they worry about it constantly.  It’s very difficult to get it out of their mind. Retain a… Read More

Most people do not know what this is unless they have done some research on it or a criminal defense attorney, prosecutor or judge practicing criminal defense on a daily basis. It could also be defendant or family member who is facing a criminal case , a lot of them are murder cases, attempted murder cases — where there’s a Perkins witness. Planting Someone in a Jail Cell Basically, what it is, is law enforcement will plant somebody in a jail cell were the target/defendant is and they need to try to get some sort of a statement from that… Read More

If I’m Guilty of Crime in Los Angeles, Why do I Need a Criminal Defense Attorney? I do get a lot of clients who say exactly this. I’m guilty. I did it.  I’m just gonna go in there and take my punishment and that’s going to be the end of it. What they are not taking into account is, not all punishments are created the same.  Some of the consequences in criminal cases can vary and some of them are very harsh and can create a huge problem as your trying to maneuver through your life. So, obviously, you don’t… Read More

California criminal laws of “stand your ground” are described under Penal Code 198.5 PC. Under the “Castle Doctrine,” you are not required to retreat in a situation where you confront an intruder inside your residence. Legally, if someone forces their way into your home, or attempting to do so, you can use force against them. California Penal Code 198.5 says: “Any person using force intended to cause great bodily injury or death inside their residence is presumed to have had reasonable fear of injury to self or family when force is used against a person unlawfully entering their home.” In… Read More

The answer to this question is an interesting one.  Usually, iPhones have pretty good technology, where unless they have your passcode, the police and prosecutors cannot get into your iPhone. So, they can get a search warrant, which they are required to do if they want to search your iPhone, but most of the time they are not able to do that. An iPhone typically, does not and has not cooperated with them as far as allowing them to search an iPhone related to a criminal case in Los Angeles. New Technology to Extract Information However, recently, I’m seeing technology… Read More

A lot of my clients are calling me because a new law took effect January 1, 2021 that basically says that all felony probations are now two years.  This is due to probation reform under California Assembly Bill 1950 There are some exceptions, but not that many, so in most circumstances, you’re going to be able to get a resolution where, if you have to plead to a felony, you’ll only be put on probation for two years versus the normal three to five years. This is also significant for people who are already on probation.  Some people have a… Read More

What is Being Done to Stop the New Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Policies that Help the Defense? There’s a number of actions underway to try to undermine and prevent the new head DA’s policies from taking hold. Number one, there’s been an injunction filed in civil court, which at the end of this month, there’s a hearing.  Papers have been filed. The District Attorney’s Union in Los Angeles, supported by a number of prosecutors, is trying to stop the policies from going into effect, from being utilized. Also, a number of other forces have joined, so at the end… Read More

At the end of January, there is a hearing in civil court.  There has been an injunction filed against the new District Attorney related to many of his policies, such as the three strikes law being basically abolished in Los Angeles county, all enhancements being struck, and a variety of other issues related to his policies. A Superior Court Judge will decide whether or not these policies are, in fact, lawful or not. This argument is joined, obviously, by many people in his office.  A lot of the current District Attorneys do not like the policies and are trying to… Read More

What Is the New Los Angeles District Attorney’s DA’s Background? What Are Some Of The Big Changes That Have Come To LA? Part of being a great criminal defense attorney is knowing your opponents. In most of my cases, my opponent is the district attorney’s office. As a former police officer, you would think that the new head DA, George Gascon, would be tough on crime. That said, a lot of his opponents do not agree with that statement. He took over the district attorney’s office in San Francisco, and approximately 40% of the prosecutors there quit because of his… Read More