Few laws in recent memory appear to have caused as much controversy as California’s Senate Bill 145 (SB 145) has, beginning in September 2020. On Twitter we saw SB 145 referred to as “the bill that allows a 24 year old to have sex with a 14 year old and escape a...
As a criminal defense firm, it is not uncommon to have someone reach out saying they pled guilty in their case and want a new attorney because they realized after the fact they would suffer additional consequences that their original lawyer did not explain to them....
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. I wish I could shout this from the rooftops. Law enforcement can lie to you. Law enforcement WILL lie to you. We have all heard some version of this myth at one point or another. My personal favorite is that undercover cops are required...
Turn on just about any crime show—or a personal favorite, Meet the Parents—and at some point, you’ll find someone hooked up to a polygraph examination (more commonly known as a lie detector test). In real life, it almost always starts the same way: someone is...
Remember our blog post a couple of weeks ago about California's emergency bail order making the default bail amount $0 for most misdemeanors and low-level felonies? Well, standard bail amounts are officially back to normal. The Judicial Council of California—the group...
In the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody, the Black Lives Matter movement has gained increasing influence and has taken great strides towards police and criminal justice reform. One such way local governments and communities have responded to the protests...
Yes, it’s a trick question. If you’re one of our clients, you have probably heard each of our attorneys tell you at one point or another: the best statement is no statement. (Our partner Stefano Molea can give you a quick refresher here.) But why? Especially in...
So you’re sitting on the couch binge-watching Tiger King and the police show up asking to take a look around. Now what? Below are a few of the most common instances in which you’ll need to let them in: Search warrants. The most obvious time you’ll need to let...
The past two months have been an adjustment for us all. Speaking the truth and providing accurate information is an obligation that extends far beyond politics. We feel it is imperative to set the record straight regarding the top 3 misconceptions about the...
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, lowering the jail populations throughout the state became a priority to prevent the coronavirus from spreading through detention facilities like wildfire. One way California sought to lower these numbers was by instituting an...
