Felony, Drug Crimes, Sacramento Cases, and White Collar
joel.weinstein@cohendefense.com
Joel Weinstein knows his stuff. He’s dedicated the last quarter of a century to litigation of all kinds, fighting for his clients in courtrooms from California to West Virginia and the Nation’s Capital. A scholar and a skilled advocate, Joel goes to the mat for his clients every time.
Joel graduated from the prestigious UC Law San Francisco, formerly known as Hastings College of the Law, and began his career in Southern California handling high-end civil litigation and white-collar defense. In the span of his career, he’s handled complex litigation in business, real estate, labor and employment, and trademark infringement. He’s also litigated Antitrust, FCC, and SEC matters in Washington D.C.
Joel’s heart and the bulk of his experience, however, are in criminal defense, which he’s practiced all over California as well as in West Virginia. As Joel says, “When you are protecting someone’s liberty, it’s different. When you’re able to keep them out of jail, you feel you’ve really accomplished something, that you’ve done something good and made a real-life impact. After all, everyone makes mistakes, but they don’t deserve to have their lives ruined just because they may have made a mistake.”
Joel’s skill and experience make him a leader in his field. He’s successfully argued cases before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals that resulted in published opinions. In other words, he has made law – no small feat in the world of criminal defense. Joel has written training materials for lawyers about how to apply legal precedent to practice. For years he was a top-ranked professor at George Mason University in the Criminology, Law and Society Department, where he taught Criminal Courts, Criminal Procedure, and Constitutional Law.
It is Joel’s passion for helping people, though, that keeps him in the courtroom. Joel takes pride in his ability to connect with his clients. “I think people appreciate that I am candid and straight up with them,” he says. “It’s always been important to me to be very communicative and to be able to be frank and honest with clients. I want to give them everything they need to make decisions on their own, rather than telling them what to do. I will give you all the advice and counseling, the downsides and the positives, to allow you to make the most informed decision you can make,” he says. According to Joel’s colleague, Joe Alexander, “Joel is a passionate advocate who uses his considerable skill, knowledge, and experience to fight for the best possible outcome in every single case. Joel is also a down-to-earth person who connects with his clients on a meaningful level. He understands that people are not defined by what is written in a police report and that there is always more to the person, and more to the case, than the story being told by the prosecutor.”
Joel is the whole package. An experienced trial attorney and a shrewd negotiator, a skill he honed during his years in civil litigation. Joel attacks every case on numerous fronts, thoroughly investigating and preparing for law and motion, or trial, while also negotiating with the District Attorney and the court to steer the case toward his client’s desired outcome.
Joel earned his undergraduate degree at UCLA and his law degree at UC Law San Francisco. Joel credits his competitive spirit and team-oriented approach to his years as a high school athlete in the Bay Area where he played football, basketball, and swam. A devoted outdoorsman, Joel loves fishing, hiking, and camping from the mountains to the coast.
Born in Walnut Creek and raised in the East Bay, Joel became a member of the California State Bar in 2001. Joel has been admitted to practice in all federal courts in California and the Supreme Court of California.
Education: UCLA (B.A. Political Science with Honors, 1995); UC Law San Francisco (J.D., 2000); Extern for Chief Judge Marilyn Hall-Patel of the United States District Court, Northern District of California; Research Assistant for California Supreme Court Justice Joseph Grodin. Member: Placer County Bar Association, Criminal Division; Sacramento County Bar Association, Criminal Division.