At least 4.1% of convictions in LA County are wrongfully obtained. While Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is taking a second look at questionable convictions, they do continue to happen. Could you become the next victim of police or prosecutorial misconduct? What is a wrongful conviction? A wrongful conviction is any conviction wherein…

At its most basic, geofencing is a service that triggers an action when a device enters a set location. Say you get within 30 feet of your favorite coffee shop. Your phone might just buzz, letting you know that you’ve got a coupon for a latte.  That’s the benign use. More or less. Geofencing gets…

Whether you’re guilty of a crime or not, it’s always a concern when police show up at your door. For one thing, police work is often a lot sloppier than the police work you see on television. Often, they’ll take in anyone they think they can make a case against. Some unscrupulous police officers even…

Certain individuals facing drug charges in Los Angeles County could, indeed, find themselves facing murder charges if it is alleged they sold drugs laced with fentanyl. There is a national push to file murder charges when these sales lead to deaths. There have, in fact, been cases filed in California already. They’re mainly being brought…

Both the 5th Amendment of the United States Constitution and California state law protect your right to avoid incriminating yourself. When police give you a Miranda warning, they are reminding you of your 5th Amendment rights. Yet many people end up inadvertently waiving these rights. Primarily they do this by talking to the police when…

You may be shocked—and perhaps even outraged—to learn that here in Los Angeles and throughout the state of California, law enforcement has the right to take a DNA sample from you if you are charged with a felony. They don’t have to wait for conviction: the arrest is enough.  If you are convicted of a…

Los Angeles County has a set bail schedule. Yet many who are charged with misdemeanors and non-violent crimes will not have to pay bail.  The California Supreme Court has ruled that the state trial courts must consider an individual’s ability to pay before setting bail, and they can’t set it in an amount a person…

In some assault, battery, and murder cases, asserting your appropriate use of force in response to the situation can help protect you from criminal charges. Appropriate use of force doesn’t just cover self-defense, but defense-of-others and the defense of your home as well. While self-defense isn’t quite the slam dunk get-out-of-jail-free card it’s portrayed as…

An arrest warrant is a very serious matter. If there’s an active warrant for your arrest the police can come and get you at any time. If you suspect there may be a warrant out for your arrest it is absolutely vital for you to address the problem head-on. A warrant will not go away…