How do you find the right criminal defense lawyer in your community? You do what everyone else does when you want something: You sit in front of your computer and you do a search — most of the time it is through Google. Great. I do my search for “Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer” and I get page after page of people I still don’t know. Some are advertisements and some are “natural results”. This does not help me. Shall I just pick one? Where do I go from here. My answer is still the same as it was one …

Jackie Lacey is running for District Attorney in Los Angeles County. I hope all Los Angeles County residents get out and vote for Jackie. She is clearly the best qualified candidate for the job. She has been a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for her entire career. She worked her way up to the number two position in the office under the guidance of Steve Cooley. She is endorsed by District Attorney Cooley and almost every other organization that gives endorsements for District Attorney. Read more about Jackie. Please get out and vote. But don’t just …

Riverside Police officer Ryan Bonaminio was killed by gunshot wounds in November of 2010. The suspect in the crime, Earl Ellis began trial today. The opening statement by his defense attorney caused me some great concern for the outcome of his case. The Los Angeles Times reported that Mr. Earl’s defense attorney conceded the death by gunshot wounds and the fact that it was committed by Earl. The defense conceded that the death was a murder but disputed the allegation that it was premeditated. A first degree murder of a police officer carries a potential death sentence. The approach of …

I was recently contacted by the Los Angeles Area Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA. Special Agents on a task force dealing with physicians over-prescribing pills called me because they wanted to talk to one of my clients. My client, who is under doctors care for chronic pain, has been getting prescription pain medication for many years. Although my client has done nothing wrong, DEA agents are investigating my client’s doctors in an effort to determine if certain doctors are over-prescribing drugs. Many of us are familiar with the recent trial of Dr. Conrad Murray. However, we may not be aware …

If you are a police officer in California, it seems as if it is a bad time for you to commit crime. In two separate trials in as many months two different police officers were recently convicted of murder in Los Angeles County. In what is dubbed a “cold case” murder, former Los Angeles Police Department detective Stephanie Lazarus was convicted of beating and shooting the wife of a man for whom she had a love interest. Her defense contended that crime scene evidence was tainted, however, this did not stop the jury from quickly reaching a verdict of guilt. …

Mark Berndt, a long time Los Angeles Unified School District teacher was just arrested and charged with multiple sex offenses against his students. The allegations include that he gagged the students, blindfolded them and fed them his own semen with a spoon. Witness statements indicate that the conduct had been ongoing for over ten years. The investigation began in late 2010 after a photo technician called the police when he was asked to process some disturbing images depicting children. In January of 2011, the School District suspended Berndt and later fired him. He was arraigned yesterday after being charged with …

The Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles will begin an amnesty program where offenders can get their traffic ticket fines cut in half. Any person when had a traffic ticket fine that was due on or before January 1, 2009, will have six months to pay their new, reduced fine. This will be a 50% reduction in the total fine amount. If you or someone you know has failed to pay a traffic ticket, this may be the best deal you will get for a long time. If your ticket was due on or before January 1, 2009, …

Home run record holder Barry Bonds was sentenced in Federal Court to 30 days house arrest, 250 hours of community service and a small fine after his conviction for obstructing justice. The Assistant United States Attorney who handled the sentencing, Matthew Parrella, was very upset at what he considered a light sentence and fine that was almost laughable. United States District Court Judge Susan Illston, who presided over the Bonds trial and sentenced him indicated that because much of his earlier testimony denying steroid use was out of the public eye, she viewed his actions as less serious and used …

A multi-jurisdictional task force arrested 35 people this week for weapons violations in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles County Probation department in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration, The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Pasadena Police Department searched 158 probationers and their homes earlier this week. The officers found 23 firearms, drugs, and other contraband. The Daily News reported that 250 law enforcement officials helped out in the sweep. Tony Bell, a spokesman for County Supervisor Michael Antonovich said that “this is one of the most cost-effective law enforcement programs …

Another common question that I get as a criminal defense attorney is: How can I beat my traffic ticket? My answer is almost always the same: Set every traffic ticket for trial. In the words of the great DUI defense attorney Charles Unger, “Good things happen when we answer ready for trial”. In order to prosecute most traffic cases, the police officer has to be present. If the officer is not present the case will be dismissed. In some specific cases, more than one officer must be present to prosecute the case. Whenever possible I like to set my tickets for …