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California Military Diversion, also known as Veterans Diversion, is a pre-trial diversion program, within Veteran’s Court, for active-duty or former members of the United States Military who are charged with a misdemeanor and suffer from certain types of trauma or mental health issues. Continue reading →

Can You Refuse a Breathalyzer After Being Arrested for DUI? If you are lawfully arrested for a DUI in California, you are required to take a Breathalyzer or blood test. You may get a longer jail sentence and/or a longer DUI class if you are convicted for both the DUI and refusing the Breathalyzer or blood test. Continue reading →

What is AB 1950? AB 1950 is a sweeping new probation law in California that dramatically shortens the period of adult probation for most crimes in California.AB 1950 limits California adult probation to a maximum of one year for most misdemeanor offenses and two years for most felony offenses. Continue reading →

When people learn I am a DUI attorney, they often ask me: “Do you really go to jail if you can’t say the alphabet backwards?” Field sobriety tests like this one are often portrayed on TV as impossible tests, designed for failure. Continue reading →

California law allows you to have your juvenile records sealed in most cases. Once your juvenile records are sealed, the juvenile proceedings are legally deemed never to have occurred. The sealing order will include a date for expungement (destruction) of the records.  Continue reading →

As one of my clients would tell you, it is not illegal to have a .10 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) 30 minutes after driving.  What matters for a DUI is your BAC being below the California limit of .08 at the time of driving.     Continue reading →

As a criminal defense lawyer with more than 19 years of focus on juvenile delinquency, one of the questions I hear often is “Can children be tried as adults?”  The short answer is “yes”, but only when specific conditions are met.  Continue reading →

Updated: January 2021 As a criminal defense lawyer with more than 19 years of experience in juvenile court, one of the questions I hear most frequently is, “Can a minor be questioned without a parent present?”   There are two entities likely to question your child about involvement in a crime:   police officersschool personnel Let’s look at each. Continue reading →