News & Information
Tragedy in Ferguson: The Mike Brown Shooting Could Lead to New Law
For the past two weeks, the eyes of the country have been fixed upon Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, where an unarmed, teenaged African-American named Mike Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer named Darren Wilson. While driving his patrol car, Wilson approached Brown and a friend as they walked in the middle of a street. Wilson ordered them to get on the sidewalk, and…
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California Police Involved in On-Duty Shootings Must Now Be Identified
Recently, the California Supreme Court ruled that police departments must give the names of officers involved in on-duty shootings. The case stems from the fatal shooting of a man holding a garden hose by two Long Beach police officers. The Los Angeles Times filed a Public Records Act request for the names of the two officers involved. The names were later released in a police report clearing the officers of…
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Could Carson’s Anti-Bullying Law Be Shot Down?
The city of Carson has proposed a ground-breaking city ordinance that would impose much stricter punishments on school bullies and cyberbullies. Unfortunately, the ordinance was defeated during their City Council meeting by a vote of 3 to 2.1 Following the defeat, the ordinance was given another shot in a subsequent City Council vote. Members of Carson's City Council approved funding an anti-bullying campaign. This would allow the city to draft…
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You Think Graduating Law School And Passing The Bar Will Guarantee You A Job? Think Again!!!!
So you spend three years and pay over $100,000 in tuition to get through law school. You put your life on hold attending classes and studying for finals. Then, you go into hibernation for over 2 months studying for the bar exam. They make you wait for nearly four long and painful months to see your results. Finally, you find out you passed the bar exam. You celebrate. You get…
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What Kind of People Will We Be?
Yesterday a 20 year old young man by the name of Robert came into my office. He was brought to our country by his parents when he was 2. His parents struggled to find work and somehow their young boy was able to eat 1 or 2 meals a day. He worked hard at school and graduated from high school with a 4.2 GPA. All he wants to do is…
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Who Most Benefits from Plea Bargains?
About 90% of all criminal cases in the U.S. are settled by plea bargain. Given the number of cases being heard in courts these days it would be difficult to imagine our legal system bearing the burden of full jury trials in every case. But is justice really served when a prosecutor and defendant enter into such an agreement? Are courts allowing financial and logistical difficulties to dictate how the…
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District Attorney Violates the Law by Violating the Legal Rights of Defendants – How an Experienced Southern California Defense Attorney Can Help Ensure Your Rights
The California State Bar Disciplinary Panel recently upheld a judge's recommendation to suspend former Santa Clara County prosecutor Benjamin Field from the State Bar for four years. Field appealed to the State Bar Review Department's finding that he had withheld exculpatory evidence and committed other misconduct in four cases he had prosecuted. He was accused of violating court orders and directives, performing incompetently, failing to obey the law, withholding evidence,…
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Nine Charged after Bullying of Teenage Student Phoebe Prince Ends in Suicide
It was recently reported that nine youths have been charged in relation to the suicide of a 15-year-old girl in Massachusetts. Phoebe Prince, who had recently moved to South Hadley, Massachusetts from Ireland, hung herself after being raped and bullied by classmates since the start of the school year in September 2009. Prince committed suicide on January 14th. Initially thought to be a case of cyber bullying, it is believed…
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Pasadena Couple Suspected in Murder and Torture in Infant Death Of 2-Year-Old Son – California Penal Code Section 187 and Section 206
It was recently reported that a Pasadena couple was charged with torture and murder in the child death of their 2-year-old son, who was found dead in the family home. Maria Pelaez, 30, and Gabriel Diaz, 33, reportedly admitted to police that they taped the limbs of 2-year-old Rene Torres to restrain and punish him. Torres died from asphyxiation. It is alleged the toddler's death was due to his mouth…
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How an Experienced Southern California Criminal Defense Attorney Can Find Errors and Flaws in Prosecutors Case
Recently, a federal case against an Orange County politician was dealt a blow when a portion of the prosecutors' audio evidence was found to be missing. The case arose out of the 2006 general election for California's 47th House of Representatives district to represent Santa Ana between incumbent Loretta Sanchez and challenger Tan Duc Nguyen. During the campaign, a letter apparently from Nguyen went out to 14,000 residents in the…
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