All Barstow Traffic Tickets Must Now Appear in Needles or Victorville Traffic tickets can be a hassle. If you have…

OC’s DNA Collection Program May Be Unconstitutional In a recent ruling, the 4th District Court of Appeal has held that…

Your Rights Against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures in California Under the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, you have the…

What Happens When Someone Presses Charges Against You? When someone presses charges against you, they are prosecuting a criminal case…

What Is a Public Defender?  In criminal prosecutions, all defendants have a right to an attorney under the Sixth Amendment…

How to Get Out of Statutory Rape Charges What Is Statutory Rape?  In California, statutory rape is defined as unlawful…

How You Can Take Steps To Withdraw Your Guilty Plea in California | 1473.3 motion to vacate Penal Code Section…

The California Court of Appeal determined whether a defendant is allowed the right to a new trial when the defendant…

How Long Does It Take to Press Charges? How Long Does It Take a Prosecutor to File Charges?  A criminal…

What Is a Revocation Hearing?  When criminal offenders receive probation as a punishment, they must follow certain terms and conditions…

How Much Is a Reckless Driving Ticket? What Is Reckless Driving?  Under California Vehicle Code Section 23103, reckless driving is…

What Happens If Charges Are Dropped Before Trial? If you are charged with a crime in California, you will face…

What Is Restitution?  Avoid paying restitution As authorized under California Penal Code Section 1202.4, many criminal cases require a guilty…

What Is Bail?  Bail After a defendant has been charged with a crime and taken into custody, the court will…

What Is a Hung Jury?  In most jurisdictions, a unanimous jury decision is required for a verdict to be given,…

What Are Sex Offenders Prohibited from Doing?  California enforces strict laws regarding sex crimes and imposes serious penalties for violators.…

What is the Minimum Sentence for Child Molesters Under California Penal Code 647.6 PC If you have been accused or…

Is Spanking a Child Illegal in California? Under California law, spanking your child, or using some other reasonable form of…

How Long After Being Molested Can You Press Charges in California? A statute of limitations determines the timeline for criminal…

People v. Avalos: Conviction Reversed Due to Miranda Violation  By law, a police officer must read you your rights when…

People v. Ware: Specific Intent to Kill Required for Murder Conviction In the case of People v. Ware, the Supreme…

The Case of Michael J. Avenatti  Lawyer Michael J. Avenatti represents a case of serious attorney misconduct. Currently, the Santa…

In re G.Z.: Lack of Substantial Evidence Can Lead to Dismissal of Your Dependency Petition  In the case of G.Z.,…

How much is a lawyer in Southern California?   The cost of a lawyer can vary greatly depending on the type…

District Attorney’s Dirty Trick Violates the Constitution, Says U.S. Department of Justice Recently, the Orange County District Attorney’s (DA) Office…

What Is the Intoxication Defense?  In criminal law, intoxication is a defense that allows defendants to reduce their liability for…

What Is the Entrapment Defense? What Is Entrapment?  Police entrapment is a legal defense to criminal accusations based on specific…

Fireworks Laws to Know for Your July 4th Celebration  Types of Fireworks: Which Are Legal?   With the Fourth of July…

Penalties for Illegal Abortions in California  California’s Abortion Law  Abortion refers to the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, generally using…

People v. Reynoza: Dissuading A Witness          Many people find themselves charged with improper crimes due to the prosecutor misconstruing…

Three Very Important Things to Remember for Your Restraining Order Hearing 1.  A respondent must be served with the restraining…

Being involved in a fatal accident is a serious matter.  Depending on the circumstances you can be charged with vehicular…

BIG Break For Those Facing Serious Jail Time In California Governor of California signs new law allowing judges to dramatically…

I am charged with a felony. Can Wallin & Klarich help me get mental health diversion? Some people will be…

Could Be Convicted Of A Serious Felony In Some Cases Even If The Witness Who Identified You Doesn’t Testify At…

California Defendants Accused of Crimes Often Wait Years Before Their Day in Court   Thousands of people in California have…

When the Victim Does Not Want to Prosecute   We hear it all the time from domestic violence clients, “The…

Can You Be Punished Twice For the Same Crime? The California Penal Code provides that a person who is convicted…

Can a Criminally Accused Person Invoke Their 5th Amendment Privilege Against Self-Incrimination? Civil restraining orders are often filed concurrently with…

Can Police Enter a Home When They are Chasing a Person for a Misdemeanor? The Fourth Amendment to the United…

What duty does an attorney owe to their client? In the U.S. Constitution, the Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant…

Understanding Your Miranda Rights Anyone who has watched Law & Order, NCIS, or another crime series on television has probably…

Can You Be Jailed for Refusing to Unlock Your Phone? William Montanez recently was released from a Florida jail after…

IF YOU WERE CONVICTED OF A FELONY VEHICLE THEFT OFFENSE YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR THE FELONY TO BE REDUCED TO…

Living With Felony Probation A lot of people assume that getting sentenced to probation for a felony is a slap…

Cleaning Up Your Record: Cases You Didn’t Know Could Be Removed Life with an arrest or conviction on your record…

Factual Innocence and the C.A.R.E. Act: The Difference Between PC 851.8 and PC 851.91 An arrest record can haunt you…

Will a Disorderly Conduct PC 647(F) Conviction Prevent Me from Getting a Concealed Weapons Permit? California law prevents some people…

California Cracking Down on Unauthorized Practice of Law (Business and Professions Code Section 6126) Immigrants are among the groups of…

Is It Illegal to Shoot a BB Gun in California? (PC 246.3) “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” Every holiday…

How the Fourth Amendment Impacts Your DNA Rights In 2006, Daniel Marquez was arrested in Ventura County for an alleged…

The 4 Most Common Mistakes Defendants Make in Criminal Cases Our skilled criminal defense attorneys have been successfully defending clients…

The Elements Required to Add a Gang Enhancement to Your Sentence (PC 186.22(b)) Fear of gang violence across California in…

Is It a Crime to Text Someone to Commit Suicide? Without context, jokes can take on a completely different meaning.…

Is a Hate Crime a Felony? (PC 422.55) In California, a criminal act committed against another person that is motivated…

Can Verbal Abuse Be Elder Abuse? (PC 368) Most people know that elder abuse is a crime in California. However,…

Bill Banning Civil Arrests in Courthouses Makes Governor Brown’s Desk (SB 349) One of the major platforms for the Trump…

What are the Penalties for Credit Card Fraud? (PC 484) Under California Penal Code Section 484, it is illegal to…

Legal Self Defense in California In California, you are allowed to use reasonable self defense in order to protect yourself…

What is a Specific Intent Crime? Words like “knowingly” and “willfully” are often brought up in the criminal justice system…

What to Expect at a Preliminary Hearing If you are accused of a felony offense, there will be a step…

Is it a Crime to Lie to a Police Officer? (PC 148.5) Little lies are often harmless. You might lie…

Is the YouTube Female Viagra Prank the Crime of Date Rape? On YouTube, a new “prank” gained popularity recently. This…

Most Common Legal Defenses to Corporal Injury on a Spouse Charges (PC 273.5) Inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or…

How to Beat a Probation Violation Accusation Probation gives you the opportunity to serve your sentence without spending time in…

Key Differences Between Statutory Rape and Lewd Acts with a Minor (PC 261.5 and PC 288) In some cases, the…

Can a Rape Victim Drop Charges? (PC 261) Rape cases are often “he-said/she-said” circumstances where the only evidence against the…

5 Black Friday Crimes That’ll Make You Wait for Cyber Monday On Black Friday, hordes of people flock to stores…

Sextortion is a Crime in California (PC 518) California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a law that will make “sextortion”…

What Does a Certificate of Rehabilitation Do? A criminal conviction can have a negative impact on you for the rest…

Why Should You Apply for a Governor’s Pardon Now? Time is running out for California Governor Jerry Brown. He is…

7 Things to Look for in an Orange County Appeals Attorney If you’ve been convicted of a crime in Orange…

What Happens at a Felony Sentencing Hearing in California? When you are convicted of a felony, it does not mean…

What is a Split Sentence for a Felony Offense in California? If you are convicted of a felony offense in…

What is Realignment in California? When you are convicted of a felony, you may assume you will have to serve…

How to Get Probation Granted If you are sentenced to jail time, your entire life could change. Not only will…

Revenge Porn Laws: Is the Person in the Images Identifiable? PC 647(j)(4) “Revenge porn” is the concept of publishing nude…

What You Need to Know About House Arrest If you have been convicted of a crime, you may be willing…

Can You Be Arrested for Flying a Drone? (PC 402) Whether it’s taking aerial photos or video, conducting research in…

Filing Fake Tax Returns and California Tax Fraud (Revenue and Tax Code Section 19706) What happens when a person decides…

What is the Difference Between Watson Murder and Vehicular Manslaughter? Southern California roads are filled with drivers, so it’s no…

Can I Be Charged with Auto Burglary If I Broke into a Car but Stole Nothing? (PC 459) You’re walking…

Is It Free Speech or a Hate Crime? A Redwood City man told police that he punched a gas station…

When is it Time to File a Motion for a New Trial? (PC 1181) You are on trial for a…

The Point System and Your Driver’s License Getting points is usually a good thing. In basketball, the team with the…

10 Things Every Criminal Defendant Needs to Know If you are accused of a crime, you can expect that the…

Is Blackmail a Crime of Extortion in California? (PC 524) You’ve probably heard the term “blackmail” before. It is commonly…

The High Cost of Insurance After a DUI What should you be worried about most if you are charged with…

13 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney Being accused of a crime is far too serious to…

What are the Benefits of a Factual Innocence Motion? The criminal justice system can be very imposing, but it can…

10 Signs You’re About to Hire the Wrong Criminal Defense Attorney Hiring the right criminal defense attorney to handle your…

Using the Alibi Defense in a Burglary Case If you are charged with burglary, it does not mean that you…

Could Kanye West and Kim Kardashian Face Criminal Charges for Recording Taylor Swift Phone Call By now everyone knows the…

The Basics of Making a Plea Agreement in Orange County Many of us are conditioned to think every criminal case…