Zachary Merliss

At trial, a jury was unable to find my client guilty of DUI. The judge declared a mistrial and the DA did not obtain a conviction.

The judge dismissed my case after a hung jury, finding it unlikely that a retrial would result in a guilty verdict.

My client was charged with a felony theft which threatened his immigration status. I litigated the case at a preliminary hearing and the judge reduced the charge to a misdemeanor. Because I was able to avoid the felony, my client’s immigration status was preserved.

I challenged geofence tracking evidence at a preliminary hearing. The court found the evidence was insufficient to support a charge and dismissed my client’s case.

My client’s driver’s license was suspended based on an allegation of driving under the influence. I challenged the suspension at a DMV hearing and won, because the time of driving could not be established. My client’s driving privilege was reinstated.

My client was charged with driving under the influence. I investigated and prepared the case for trial. My preparations and communication with the the DA before trial demonstrated that the DA did not have enough evidence to dismiss the case. The charges were dismissed.

My client faced five felony charges, subjecting him to a possible prison sentence. I felt there was a lack of evidence against my client, so I contested the charges at a preliminary hearing. The judge dismissed four of the charges and reduced the fifth to a misdemeanor. The case resolved for one misdemeanor with no jail time.

My client is a veteran who I believed qualified for military diversion on his charges. The DA objected, but I was able to convince the judge to divert my client out of the criminal justice system.

My client's driver's license was suspended for driving under the influence. I contested the suspension at a DMV hearing and called the forensic toxicologist as a witness. After hearing testimony, the hearing officer set aside the suspension and reinstated my client's driving privilege.

My client faced life in prison for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily injury, and battery with serious bodily injury. The alleged victim and one eyewitness said that my client stabbed the alleged victim in the gut without provocation. My client protested his innocence from the beginning, claiming self-defense. We investigated and found other eyewitnesses who were closer to the scene than the DA’s eyewitness. They saw my client getting beaten with a metal form stake. My cross-examination of the alleged victim and the prosecution eyewitness revealed great inconsistencies with the physical evidence and with the eyewitnesses we found. Ultimately, in under 2 hours, the jury acquitted the client of all charges and he was released from jail after years of incarceration.

I successfully litigated two recent DMV hearings where I fought the suspension of my clients' driver's licenses. I fully litigated both hearings, calling expert witnesses to provide favorable reports and testimony. Both of those clients had their driving suspensions set aside and their licenses reinstated.

My client was arrested for a DUI based on allegedly having marijuana in his system. I created a packet citing scientific articles that explain how marijuana impairment is not correlated with field sobriety tests or toxicology results. I pointed out that my client did not drive poorly, was only stopped for a fix-it ticket violation, and cooperated with police. After considering all of the information I provided, the District Attorney decided not to file any charges.

My client was cited for a misdemeanor state parks violation. At the first court appearance, I brought to the judge's attention my client's youth, lack of prior record, education, and employment status. After considering this information, the judge granted diversion for the limited period of one month, allowing my client to earn a dismissal of the misdemeanor.

My client was charged with felony conspiracy to commit a crime. We fought the charge at a preliminary hearing, and succeeded in getting the judge to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor. I was able to demonstrate to the District Attorney how difficult it would be for them to prove the case at trial, and highlighted my client's youth and lack of prior record. The District Attorney agreed to resolve the case for no further jail time.

My client was charged with felony burglary. I fought the charge at a preliminary hearing. When the District Attorney saw how difficult it would be to prove their case at trial, they agreed to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor. My client did not have to serve any more time in jail.

My client was charged with felony criminal threats, which is a strike under the Three-Strikes Law and carries the possibility of serving time in state prison. I fought the charge at a preliminary hearing and demonstrated that the accuser's statements were not reliable. After the hearing, the DA dismissed the strike offense in exchange for a plea to a lesser charge.

My client was charged with a misdemeanor DUI. The DMV was going to suspend their driver's license, so we set it for a hearing with a DMV hearing officer. I pointed out to the DMV hearing officer that the police officer did not properly administer the breath tests. The hearing officer did not impose the license suspension, and my client retained his right to drive.