EDUCATION
Degree of Juris Doctor, Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science, California State University, Long Beach, California.
LEGAL EXPERIENCE
Over 20 Years as a Criminal Defense Attorney
Over 3,500 criminal cases handled (both felonies & misdemeanors)
Former Deputy Attorney General (Criminal Division) and Special Prosecutor
Member of The Bar in Good Standing:
Bar Association of San Francisco
The State Bar of California
United States Federal District Courts, Northern, Central, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California
United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Tax Court
Supreme Court of the United States
Former Judge (Pro Tem) for the City & County of San Francisco
CASES
- Acquittal (Not Guilty) at jury trial on a “Life Without Possibility of Parole” case (People v. Darrell Van Shumpert)
- Over 1,000 DUI (Driving Under the Influence) cases, including multiple offenders and vehicular homicide cases.
- Over 550 Department of Motor Vehicle Hearings (DUI Drivers License Suspensions)
- Successfully handled a Kidnapping case where a potential sentence of life imprisonment was reduced to “time already served” of only ninety days.
- Death penalty case (People v. Jesse Bishop), successfully handling several post-conviction writs, appeals, and a Pardon-Commutation hearing
- Over fifty “Three Strikes” cases with excellent results in obtaining the dismissal of one or more ‘strikes” resulting in the dramatic reduction of jail time
- Hundreds of Domestic Violence cases, including many where the charges were either dismissed or discharged
- Bail reductions obtained in nearly all cases (where the client is neither a flight risk and is not considered dangerous), most recently: the reduction of a million dollar bail to only forty-five thousand dollars (San Francisco Superior Court)
- Over 1,000 felony cases (drugs, grand theft, assault, kidnapping, murder)
- Over 2,500 misdemeanor cases (shoplifting, solicitation for prostitution, petty theft, and DUIs).
- Over 300 Juvenile offense cases
- Hundreds of successful Probation Violation hearings
- Numerous successful Parole Violation hearings
- Handled the “Last Defector” (In re Sergei Ukanov) case from the former Soviet Union (USSR)
- Pro Bono representation for selected indigent clients (People v. June Fairchild, People v. Valerie Hunt)
- Founder and CEO of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation, including the obtaining of the tax-exempt status from the IRS
Many of my clients’ cases have originated from the following Bay Area cities and towns, including:
San Francisco, Daly City, Brisbane, Millbrae, San Bruno, Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, San Mateo, Redwood City, Montara, Pacifica, Hillsborough, Woodside, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, San Gregorio, La Honda, Pescadero, Belmont, San Carlos, Portola Valley, Atherton, Menlo Park, Foster City, Sausalito, Belvedere, Tiburon, Mill Valley, Larkspur, Corte Madera, San Rafael, Kentfield, Ross, San Anselmo, Fairfax, Novato, Bolinas, Terra Linda, Muir Beach, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Newark, Fremont, Castro Valley, Pleasanton, Sunol, Dublin, Livermore, Union City, Stanford, Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Campbell, San Jose, Milpitas, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Santa Cruz, Aptos, Scotts Valley, Soquel, Capitola, Castroville, Prunedale, Hollister, San Martin, Salinas, Monterey, Seaside, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley, Marina, Gonzales, King City, San Ardo, Big Sur, Moss Landing, Pebble Beach, Carmel Highlands, Richmond, Albany, Hercules, Pinole, Pittsburg, Martinez, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Alamo, Concord, Antioch, Brentwood, Danville, San Ramon, Oakley, Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga, Angwin, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Windsor, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Occidental, Guerneville, Bodega & Bodega Bay, Sea Ranch, Monte Rio, Valley Ford, Geyserville, Vallejo, American Canyon, Suisan City, Vacaville, Fairfield, Winters, Dixon, Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, Sacramento, Elk Grove, Discovery Bay, Stockton, Rio Vista, Rancho Cordova, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rocklin, Roseville, Auburn, Placerville, Cloverdale, Clearlake, Lakeport, Hidden Valley Lake, Hopland, Ukiah, Boonville, Philo, Point Arena, Manchester, Albion, Mendocino, Fort Bragg, South Lake Tahoe, Manteca, Modesto, Tracy, Turlock, Merced, Los Banos, Fresno, Madera, Chowchilla, Oakhurst, Tahoe City, Mariposa, Lodi, and many, many more throughout California.
Because San Francisco is a highly desirable place to live, this attracts the very best defense attorneys to the City itself and the surrounding Bay Area. However, to succeed as a San Francisco defense attorney, one must be willing to be completely prepared for each case, and to give the utmost in aggressive, professional advocacy in the pursuit of the best outcome for each client’s criminal case.
It is with this professional and personal philosophy that I proudly seek to represent clients in the Bay Area as a San Francisco defense attorney.
