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California Criminal Defense Lawyer

If your freedom is on the line due to a criminal charge, investigation, or warrant, you need to be very careful. Convictions risk jail time, loss of your job and your future.

It is crucial to hire the best California criminal defense attorney to defend you. A skilled attorney can make the difference between jail-time and getting your case dismissed.

We will fight to secure the best possible outcome, reduce or dismiss charges, and keep you out of jail. If you are facing any assault, battery, drug charge, domestic violence, federal crime, theft, weapons charge, DUI, or sex crime we can immediately help you.

Former DAs, 75+ years experience

Chudnovsky Law’s lawyers have over 75 years of experience defending thousands of clients. We are recognized as Top 100 Trial Lawyers and rated best criminal defense lawyers by Expertise.

As Former Prosecutors we know how judges and prosecutors operate, their undisclosed internal policies, and how to work with them. We also know how to identify every weakness in the DA’s case to use in your defense. Working in both California and Federal courts, we offer the experience to handle any legal challenge with personal attention and service.

For misdemeanor cases, we can usually make all court appearance without you so you won’t have the hassle and aggravation of attending hearings.

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Experience You Can Trust

Often it is not the facts of the case that result in a great outcome, but understanding the system, relationships, and a skillful presentation of your case to the judge or prosecutor. Our lawyers know the system inside out and how to achieve outstanding results.

You can rest assured we will fight aggressively and skillfully to get your charges reduced or dropped to protect you, your record and your freedom.

We offer affordable fees and flexible payment plans.

 

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Team of criminal lawyers, investigators & experts

Chudnovsky Law has top investigators and experts available throughout California when needed to conduct interviews, testify and gather evidence to exonerate you.

If hired early, our criminal defense lawyers can make a case to the Prosecutor’s office as to why a case should be dropped or reduced before it even reaches a court.

Multilingual lawyers for foreign citizens

The intersection between immigration and criminal law is one of the most complex areas of US law. Chudnovsky Law is recognized as a leader in criminal defense for non-US citizens and minimizing the immigration consequences of criminal charges. The firm provides multilingual legal services to clients from all countries.

Protect Your Freedom

Call 844 325-1444 for a Free, confidential consultation to start your defense! We represent clients throughout Southern California from our offices in Los Angeles & Orange County.

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Criminal defense practice areas

Our experienced criminal defense lawyers have handled over 8,000 cases and jury trials involving virtually every type of misdemeanor and felony criminal charge. Chudnovsky Law also represents clients under investigation, working with the District Attorney’s office or Federal prosecutors to show why a case should be dropped or reduced before charges are even filed.

We help clients find and clear a warrant and defend against violations of all California penal codes and Federal criminal laws including:

Foreign citizen criminal defense
Nurse criminal defense
DUI drunk driving defense
  • DWI, Driving While Intoxicated
  • Vehicular Assault and Manslaughter
  • Felony Drunk Driving
  • Child Endangerment
  • Drunk in Public
Sex crimes
  • Indecent Exposure, Lewd Conduct
  • Internet Sex Crime
  • Sexual Assault, Statutory Rape
  • Criminal Sexual Conduct
  • Sex Solicitation
  • Prostitution
White collar crime
  • Identity Theft
  • Financial Crimes
  • Tax Crimes
  • Credit Card Fraud
  • Extortion
  • Fraud
  • Forgery
  • Embezzlement
  • Insurance Fraud
Post-conviction services
  • Driving License Restoration
  • Parole & Probation Violations
Theft & property crimes
  • Armed Robbery, Burglary
  • Credit Card Theft
  • Misdemeanor Theft
  • Shoplifting
  • Federal Crime Defense
  • Receiving Stolen Property
Shoplifting
Felony crimes
Federal criminal defense
  • White Collar Crimes
  • Medicare Fraud, Medicaid Fraud
  • DEA drug diversion
  • Interstate Drug Crimes
  • Federal Financial Crimes
  • Money Laundering
  • Tax Fraud, Tax Evasion
  • Insider Trading
  • Bank Fraud, Forgery
  • Conspiracy, Espionage
  • Securities Fraud
Assault & battery crimes
Drug crime
  • Pot Dispensary Violations
  • Possession with Intent to Deliver
  • Marijuana Crimes
  • Making Hash Oil, Honey Oil
  • Drug Possession
  • Prescription Drug Charges
  • Federal & Major Felony Drug Trafficking
  • Drug Cultivation and Manufacturing
  • Drug Distribution and Sales
Elder abuse & neglect

Call 844 325-1444 to Get Help Now

Get Your Charges Dropped or Reduced and Protect Your Future! If you are looking to hire a criminal defense lawyer, we invite you to call for a Free confidential consultation 7 days a week.

Get a Free Consultation

Foreign citizen criminal defense lawyers

Our team of criminal defense attorneys and immigration attorneys know how to balance DUI and criminal law defense with immigration consequences.

A criminal charge does not have to mean you’ll be convicted or deported. We have the knowledge and experience to skillfully defend your rights and reach the best outcome possible. There is hope no matter what the charge.

Criminal Immigration Defense Attorney

If you are not a United States citizen, a California or Federal crime conviction can have serious consequences for your immigration status. Under US immigration law, criminal convictions can lead to a non-citizen being deported regardless of how long they have lived in the US or how well-established their life is here.

Also, certain California criminal convictions can make an immigrant “inadmissible“, meaning they:

  1. Cannot renter the US after leaving
  2. Cannot become a US citizen
  3. Cannot apply for adjustment of status or permanent residence

 

You can be deported even if not convicted

In some cases you do not even need to be convicted of a crime to be deported. This is because a non-citizen can be made deportable or inadmissible simply for engaging in certain kinds of conduct, such as drug trafficking or prostitution, even if they are never convicted of this activity in a criminal court.

Some arrests cause visas to be revoked even before you’ve had an opportunity to defend yourself. A guilty conviction is NOT required.

Tragically, many immigrants who face California or Federal criminal charges are represented by criminal defense attorneys who do not understand the immigration consequences of certain outcomes, including guilty or “no contest” pleas.

A criminal defense lawyer may offer good advice on how to reduce a criminal sentence. But that advice may lead to a result for the client that is far worse than a longer sentence including removal from the country that they know as home.

This is why it is key that all non-citizens facing criminal charges be represented by a criminal immigration attorney who is skilled in both immigration and criminal law.

Now that President Trump has taken executive action to increase the number of deportations of immigrants for any reason, including criminal convictions, it is more important than ever.

 

You have the right to remain silent

US law provides you the 5th Amendment right to not self incriminate. If you are questioned by police or placed under arrest, you do not need to make any statements other than to request a crime defense lawyer.

You do not have to answer the questions police ask you, such as where you have been or how much you have had to drink. It is important to be polite and to provide identification to police, but you do not have to make any statements.

Your words may be manipulated and used against you. Even native English-speakers are often confused by the legal jargon and semantics used by law enforcement officers. If English is your second language, you may find the officer’s questions confusing, and you may struggle to make yourself clear to investigators.

Criminal defense for international F1 visa students →

GUIDE TO DEPORTABLE OFFENSES

 

chudnovsky law california criminal defense attorneys

What to do if you are arrested or under criminal investigation?

If you or a loved one is facing criminal charges or a criminal investigation, you need to be very careful and smart in how you conduct yourself. Your freedom and life may be on the line.

It is in times like these that the advice of experienced counsel should be sought out and followed. The police and prosecutors have tremendous resources and are not your side. Interacting with the legal system can be intimidating and is full of potential traps.

8 Tips if you’re arrested:

1) Do not make statements to police without your lawyer present

Police interrogations are not a fair fight.  US law provides you the 5th Amendment right to not self incriminate. If a person in custody invokes their right to counsel, the police must stop questioning, and may not resume the interrogation, until the defendant has their attorney present.  Only fools try to talk their way out of criminal charges without a lawyer present.

Police are not your friends. They will not help you and may be diligently working to build a case against you. There is a reason police recite your Miranda Rights and tell you “everything you say can and will be used against you.” It is the absolute truth.

2) Don’t speak with anyone about your case in jail, including on jail phones

One of the most common ways people get themselves in trouble is by talking about their case on the phone in jail or telling other inmates. You cannot trust anyone in jails. You should never speak about your case on a jail call to anyone. Not even in a foreign language. You don’t have a right to privacy in jail and whatever language you speak, someone at the DA’s office speaks it or can get it translated. And anything you say to anyone can be used against you.

You have a legitimate expectation of privacy on your property as defined under the Fourth Amendment and in well established court opinions. If law enforcement wants to enter your property to look for evidence to use in court, they generally have to obtain a search warrant from a judge in order to do so.

4) Do not appear in court by yourself or sign anything without consulting a criminal defense lawyer

No matter how well educated or smart you are, the criminal justice system makes it nearly impossible to do a competent job of representing yourself. Only specialists who are experienced in the system, rules of evidence and assessing all the factors that come up can provide the representation needed to ensure fair justice is done.

5) Do not assume your case is hopeless or be intimidated by a prosecutor into pleading guilty

There are many legal defenses to criminal charges and you should never underestimate the ability of a skilled criminal defense lawyer to successfully fight a case or negotiate a much more favorable plea deal and outcome.

Criminal law is very complex and it’s interpretation and practice can vary dramatically by court, prosecutor and the specific circumstances of each unique case. There are many potential defense strategies and countless ways that police and investigators can make mistakes that a skilled defense attorney can use to justify dismissal or reduced charges.

6) Do not interview witnesses or try to investigate your case yourself

This can backfire or hurt your case and taint a key witness. Consult your lawyer and follow their advice on how to proceed and when to use an investigator. Give your attorney the witness list and let them decide whether and how to interview them.

7) Ask your lawyer about alternative sentencing options when appropriate

Alternative sentencing programs are based on the belief that rehab is a more effective solution for offenders than prison. If your case cannot be dismissed or defeated, they can provide attractive alternatives to jail time.

We have relationships with many alternative sentencing options that can be proposed to the prosecutor and judge if appropriate. Some of the most common alternative sentencing options include:

  • Therapy treatments
  • House arrest or electronic monitoring
  • Community service
  • Alcoholics anonymous or narcotics anonymous programs
  • Out-patient or residential rehabilitation programs (alcohol or drug)
  • Supervised or unsupervised probation
  • Behavioral management programs for anger or impulse control issues
  • PC-1000 and Proposition 36 drug diversion programs
8) Hire a qualified criminal defense lawyer asap

When your freedom, personal & professional life are on the line, it is critical to hire a skilled criminal defense lawyer to intervene fast and early to aggressively defend your case and try to get the case dropped before it even goes to court.

Choose an attorney you feel comfortable with that is very knowledgable about criminal defense. The attorney should be honest and not give you false hopes or exaggerated claims of success. Given the serious consequences of convictions, a highly skilled criminal defense lawyer can be the most important investment you make in your life.

Call 844 325-1444 for a Free Consultation

Get Your Charges Dropped or Reduced and Protect Your Future! If you are looking to hire a criminal defense lawyer, we invite you to call for a Free confidential consultation. We have offices in Los Angeles & Orange County, California.

Request a Free Consultation

Our proactive approach

Some California criminal defense lawyers take a wait-and-see approach. They stall until the first court date, or until they receive the police reports, before investigating and working up your case.

By contrast, we believe there’s no time to waste…

The most critical window for defense work may be the first few days following an arrest, or even prior to formal charges being filed.

By getting to work immediately, a good lawyer can locate favorable defense evidence and witnesses, and a good lawyer will get a head start towards defeating the charges.

Stop charges before they are filed?

Sometimes it’s possible to stop criminal charges from being filed. After making an arrest or investigating a suspected crime, police take their evidence to the district attorney. The D.A. evaluates the potential case and decides what, if any, criminal charges to file. Usually, the prosecutor makes this decision based solely on what police present. But often there’s much more to the story.

Many times our criminal lawyers can also meet with the D.A. or Federal Prosecutor during this same time period. We can present our evidence and witness statements.

Knowing your side of the story may affect the D.A. or federal prosecutor’s calculations. When prosecutors see the whole picture, not just what the police or alleged “victim” have to say, they may decide to file lesser charges such as a misdemeanor rather than a felony, for example. Or perhaps even reject the case and not file any criminal charges at all.

We offer second opinions

Perhaps you already have a California criminal defense lawyer. Your case has been pending for awhile. Your attorney advises you on a certain case strategy, such as accepting the D.A.’s offer, or taking the case to trial. Now you face a major life decision and you’re just not sure what to do.

We can evaluate your case and offer our independent judgment as to your various options and the merits of each. Much like a patient may see another doctor for a second opinion before making a major life decision, our criminal justice lawyers can give you a legal second opinion. Many clients describe us as the best criminal defense attorneys they have hired.

In the end, we may agree with your current attorney’s position. Or we may not. We may suggest a totally different approach. But our advice to you will be unbiased, look only to your best interests, and be based on a careful analysis of all the facts and law.

Contact us for help

We like to start every case by speaking with you and your witnesses to hear exactly what happened. The police and the accusers will have their story. We will be presenting yours. So we start by listening and understanding your side of it. Contact us to schedule a free initial consultation to see if we’re the best criminal defense lawyer for you.

Expungement of criminal records

While you may have moved on from a criminal conviction in your past, your criminal record has not. In fact, even if you were simply arrested and never charged with or convicted of a crime, that arrest report can remain on your record. Our criminal justice attorneys may be able to remove, or expunge California criminal records through a process known as expungement.

Expungement extracts and isolates criminal records, and prevents them from being disclosed under most circumstances. One of the main benefits of having our criminal defense lawyers expunge California crime records is that you can legally state you have no conviction for that particular criminal offense when asked about your criminal record.

From regaining more access to loans, federal assistance, and education to significantly increasing your chances of obtaining the employment you want, there are a range of benefits that you can enjoy with a clean and clear record. Perhaps most important is the peace of mind you will experience knowing that your past is finally put behind you for good.

If you are seeking expungement or sealing a criminal record, contact our criminal justice lawyer as early as possible.

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Service area

We represent client throughout Southern California, including:

Los Angeles County: Alhambra, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Buena Park, Burbank, Culver City, El Segundo, Encino, Glendale, Hollywood, Huntington Park, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Pasadena, Pomona, San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, TorranceVan Nuys, Venice, West Hollywood and Woodland Hills.

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Orange County: Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, FullertonGarden GroveHuntington BeachIrvine, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster and Yorba Linda.

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Riverside County: Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula, Murrieta, Jurupa Valley, Indio, Hemet, Perris, Palm Desert and Palm Springs. | San Bernardino County: San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Victorville, Rialto, Hesperia, Chino, Upland, Apple Valley and Redlands. | Ventura County: Camarillo, Fillmore, Simi Valley, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura.

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Criminal defense services in other languages

Abogado Criminales | Avocat Criminel

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Written by Tsion ChudnovskyRobert Weinberg and Suzanne Crouts.

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