Verdicts & Settlements

VERDICTS

Why choose me?

If you are being charged with a crime, you need a lawyer with a phenomenal success rate and who utilizes a well-prepared, aggressive defense. I have more than 25 years of criminal law experience with thousands of hours in jury trial. This means:

  • I am ready, willing, and able to win at trial.
  • My clients have not been convicted in two out of every three cases I have taken to jury trial.
  • I am well known and respected in the Placer County court community as a tough but fair attorney who fights hard for my clients without exposing them to unnecessary risk.
  • My reputation gives me a real advantage in negotiating settlements if appropriate.
  • I have specialized knowledge of the legal process and sentencing law.
  • I have won so many trials and so many cases in a row at one time, that the local newspaper wrote an article advising the public that the prosecutor appeared to be filing charges against innocent people.
  • I have a winning mindset—in my mind, losing is not an option.

Jury trial wins

Here are examples of some of the jury trials I have won. What is a “win”? I consider a win to be when the jury does not find my client guilty on ANY count.

  • First-degree murder
  • Second-degree murder
  • Attempted murder
  • Robbery
  • Vandalism
  • Sex offenses
  • Grand theft
  • Assault with deadly weapon
  • Driving under the Influence
  • Driving on suspended license
  • Possession of a controlled substance for sale
  • Controlled Substance – Transportation / Sales

Example of what some other attorneys may consider a “win.”

A client is charged with two felonies and one misdemeanor. In a pre-trial offer, the prosecutor offers to allow the client to plead guilty to one felony. Assume the case goes to trial and the jury returns not guilty verdicts on both felonies but returns a guilty verdict on the misdemeanor. Many attorneys would consider this a “win,” I do not. In my practice, a “win” means my client is not convicted on any charge whatsoever.

How I win

Winning in trial involves an extensive process, including

  • Preparation: investigation, interviews, and evidence acquisition
  • Legal issues: – Painstaking preparation and argument regarding applicable legal issues
  • Demonstrative evidence: Present evidence in the most persuasive way possible
  • Better tools: legal research, motion preparation, and presentation
SETTLEMENTS

The key to any settlement is for the client to understand the options and to know what is lawful and what is possible.

Settlement options

Here is a sampling of settlement options I may choose to pursue:

  • Avoid jail or prison time
  • Avoid a felony conviction
  • Avoid sex offender registration or Internet (Megan’s) list
  • Negotiated dismissals
  • Agreements to terminate probation early
  • Avoid deportation and citizenship consequences
  • Avoid driver license suspension
  • Felonies reduced to misdemeanors
  • Misdemeanors reduced to infractions
  • Agreement not to file charges
  • Negotiated criminal record clean-up (expungement)

Negotiation tactics

For each case, I have a targeted and focused objective when negotiating. Here are tactics I use during settlement negotiations:

  • I create a constructive negotiation environment and reward the other party when appropriate.
  • I am gracious and recognize a willingness to negotiate and compromise.
  • I end all sessions enhancing the next opportunity to negotiate with the other party.
  • I earn and create a trusting relationship with both my client and other attorneys; I do not misstate or mislead in any aspect of the process.

If you are facing criminal charges, call me at (530) 823-5400 to set up a free consultation.