Criminal Defense in California
Being charged with a crime is frightening, and the process moves on its own schedule whether you understand it or not. We represent people facing felony and misdemeanor charges, and we start by making sure you know what is coming and when.
Not sure if we can help?
Start with a quick, confidential case review — about two minutes, no cost, no obligation.
How we help
Charged with a crime, or someone you love was arrested? We explain what happens next, what the case actually turns on, and what your options are — starting with a confidential conversation.
Every criminal defense matter starts with a free, confidential review. We'll tell you honestly where you stand and, if we take your case, handle it from intake through resolution.
Common criminal defense charges we handle in California
Criminal Defense law in California
California gives a defense lawyer more structural room than most states — and runs your driving case on a separate track from your criminal case.
- Felony or misdemeanor — often a choice: Many California offenses are 'wobblers': the same conduct can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor, and the court has authority to reduce a charged felony to a misdemeanor. Which side of that line a case lands on drives almost everything that follows, and it is one of the things a defense lawyer argues about earliest.
- Two cases at once in a DUI: A California DUI runs as two separate matters — the criminal case in court, and an administrative license action the DMV brings on its own timeline, with its own hearing and its own standard. You can win one and lose the other. The window to demand the DMV hearing is short and unforgiving, so it is the first thing to handle.
- Where a felony sentence is served: After realignment, many California felony sentences are served in county jail under supervision rather than in state prison. This surprises people, and it changes what a negotiated resolution can look like.
- The felony line keeps moving: California voters have repeatedly redrawn the felony/misdemeanor line for drug and theft offenses by ballot initiative, so how the same conduct is charged depends on when it happened and on the initiative landscape in force.
- Resolving a case without a conviction: California has an unusually broad set of statutory diversion paths — including drug, mental-health, and veteran diversion — that can resolve a case without a conviction. If you are not a U.S. citizen, ask specifically how a diversion is treated under federal immigration law, because the answer is not always the same as the state answer.
- Bail and getting out: A California court must consider your ability to pay before setting money bail that would keep you in custody.
Free checklists and guides
Practical steps for the moments that move fastest — the first hours after an arrest, what to do if someone you love is in custody, and what to ask before agreeing to anything.
- Before You Plead to Anything, If You Are Not a U.S. Citizen
- What to Do in the First 48 Hours After an Arrest
- What to Do If a Family Member Is in Jail
- Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Plea
- What to Bring to a First Meeting With a Defense Lawyer
- How to Prepare for a Court Appearance
- Court Date Planner
How California compares
We are licensed in California, Arizona and New Mexico, and they differ more than most people expect. These put the three side by side.
- Is There Parole in Arizona? Sentencing and Release in California, Arizona and New Mexico
- Can a Felony Become a Misdemeanor? California vs. Arizona vs. New Mexico
- DUI and DWI: How California, Arizona and New Mexico Differ
- Criminal Charges and Immigration Status: Why the State Matters
Serving California
We represent criminal defense clients throughout California — there's no need to be in a particular city. Call (866) 855-1195 or start your free review above. Have questions first? See our Criminal Defense FAQs.
Frequently asked questions
What happens at an arraignment?
The charges are formally stated, a plea is entered, and the court sets release conditions and the next date. It is short, and it is not where the case gets argued. What matters is that someone is there who understands what is being set.
Should I talk to the police?
You have the right to remain silent, and it applies whether or not you have been arrested. Saying you want a lawyer and then not answering questions is not an admission of anything — it is the exercise of a right. Talk to a lawyer before giving a statement.
My family member was arrested. What do I do?
Find out where they are being held and what the next court date is, and call a defense lawyer before that date. Assume calls from a jail are recorded, and do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
- 3 statesLicensedCalifornia, Arizona & New Mexico
- 6Practice areasTenant Rights, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Insurance Bad Faith, Immigration, Criminal Defense
- Flat feeQuoted up frontConfirmed in writing before work begins
- FreeCase reviewsConfidential — se habla español
Ready to find out where you stand?
The case review takes about two minutes. It's free and confidential, with no obligation.