Southern California Criminal Defense Lawyer     California DUI Attorney     Personal Injury Lawyer

About the Firm

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Legal Fee and Retainer Information

1. We can Appear In Court For You: In misdemeanor cases, the law allows an attorney to appear for clients, thus avoiding the hassle of waiting in a crowded courtroom all morning, and allowing you to return to work, school, or your family. In fact, up to trial, everything in most misdemeanor cases can be done through the attorney; and California Penal Code §977(a) allows an attorney to appear on your behalf, as your agent, just as though you were present.
2. You will be Informed, Empowered, and Educated: We also make it a priority to keep you informed and educated about your case. We educate you at each step of the process as to your choices, your risks, and the potential benefits of each potential strategy, as they develop, along with any costs (such as blood re-testing, DNA tests, or crime scene reconstruction). You will never feel as though you don't know what is going on, what is coming next, or that you are in control of what happens in your case. Each attorney is accessible through pager or cell phone, and promptly returns calls and emails, so you'll never be left without a way to contact your attorney directly, and you will feel empowered at all times by knowing what you face, and what your options are.
3. Every Fact in Your Case will be Reviewed or Investigated: Your fee also includes a full factual review of all factual defenses in your matter. We typically share a redacted (censored) police report with you, as allowed by law, so that you can review the evidence against you, and can, with your attorney, do a full factual review that may go to the credibility of officers or other witnesses, or a defense of factual impossibility or alibi.
4. Every Possible Legal Defense in Your Case Will Be Scrutinized: Your fee also includes a full review, line-by-line, of your legal defenses, including police actions and misconduct. We will review your case for lack of probable cause, invalid or unsupported search or arrest warrants, illegal or invalid arrest procedures, failure to give Miranda warnings, improper testing of blood or breath, uncalibrated or unmaintained blood or breath testing devices, coerced confessions or admissions, charges filed that are unsupported by evidence, and advise you on all options available as we discover legal issues that affect your case.
5. Research, Writing, and Arguing Motions are Included: Your fee also includes all necessary motions for your case, for example, motions to quash a search warrant or an arrest warrant, a motion to suppress evidence, which in turn may cause a dismissal of your case, motions to compel the prosecution to turn over crucial discovery or other evidence, motions to challenge the charges filed in an information or complaint, motions to strike priors, motions to exclude evidence that is prejudicial, motions to move venue in your case, or motions to recover property taken or seized by the police. Most attorneys charge extra, typically an expensive hourly rate, for motions, but I believe this is crucial and include them in my services at no additional cost.
6. We fight to save your License from the DMV: For clients facing a DUI or drunken driving charge, we also handle the DMV hearing for clients, and I fight for your license in person. Typically, the DMV's punishment for some clients is even harsher than the court's, since the DMV will actually suspend your driving privilege for four months or longer if you fail to request a hearing or do not successfully defend it. At the hearing, the D.M.V. has the burden of proof as to all the issues. Our attorneys experienced with D.M.V. hearings may be able to save your license from being suspended.
7. We will bring motions to lower bail or seek an “O.R.” (own recognizance) release, to get your loved one out sooner and at a lower price, saving you money. We can also do work to find you a bail bondsman or bail company to arrange bail.
8. We will do everything we can to avoid jail, by making arguments and doing research to seek, and argue for, alternative sentencing, when appropriate, such as Community Service, a drug or alcohol program, (or rehabilitation treatment), Cal-Trans work, Work Furlough, Weekend Jail, House Arrest or Electronic Confinement, after arguing to reduce the case to the lowest sentence available by law.
9. We will investigate your case and gather evidence supporting your defenses. This may include having your blood alcohol test redone by a private lab; having DNA or fingerprint tests done, photographing the scene of the arrest or citation, obtaining witness statements; finding documents and witnesses that may help the defense – everything possible to present to the prosecutor or judge to argue innocence or reduce the sentence by showing mitigating factors.
10. Negotiating with the prosecutor, whether the District Attorney or City Attorney, or their Supervisor, or directly with the Judge and the prosecutor, to present the best legal defenses for your case.

You are welcome to call us or email any of us, anytime, to discuss your case and the ways that we can help you.

How do We Get Started?

If you decide to retain our attorney for your case, please take the following steps to establish an attorney-client relationship with us:

1. Sign our Attorney Retainer contract
2. Return the Signed Retainer contract with initial payment
   You may mail or fax or bring in in-person the signed retainer contract (Attorney-Client Agreement), along with payment of the initial attorney's fee to our law office. We accept money orders, traveler's checks, cashier's checks, cash, personal checks, wire transfer, Western Union Transfers, PayPal, and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express).
3. Receive Copy of Signed Retainer contract
   As soon as we receive your signed contract and payment of the retainer fee, our attorney will contact you and begin to work on your case. The completed retainer agreement, signed by both you and our attorney indicates the establishment of an attorney-client relationship. Note: We become your lawyer ONLY AFTER we have agreed to represent you as a client. No attorney-client relationship has been established, until the Retainer contract is completed and signed by both you and our attorney.

We accept all credit cards, paypal, money orders, cash, cashier’s checks or third party checks for your criminal defense or DUI matter. We require cash, a credit card, or certified funds if you retain us within 5 days of your court date.