Los Angeles Felony Attorney
Felony Charges Are Serious
A California criminal charge and conviction comes with serious, life-changing consequences. At best, you could get formal probation with little or no jail time but in the worst case scenario, punishment could include a state prison term of from 16 months all the way up to life behind bars. If you have been charged with a felony offense, you need to contact a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer at Stephen G. Rodriguez and Associates at your earliest opportunity. We are an aggressive and thorough law firm with 70 years of collective legal experience and if retained by you, we will stand by your side, fully examine the evidence against you and do all that is possible to safeguard your rights at this stressful time.
Felony Criminal Lawyer in Los Angeles
Felonies include nonviolent crimes ranging from petty theft (shoplifting) with prior conviction to violent offenses such as domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, sex crimes and murder. Types of felony crimes include:
- White collar crimes, such as bribery, fraud, forgery, perjury, embezzlement, identity theft and computer crimes
- Drug crimes, such as possession, manufacturing, distributing, possession with intent to sell
- Sex crimes, such as sexual abuse, sexual assault, illegal possession of pornography, continuous sexual child abuse
- Serious and violent crimes, such as mayhem, or involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping, arson, grand theft involving a firearm, California felony DUI (4th time in 10 years)
While a felony conviction can be a disaster anywhere, the California Three Strikes Law is especially severe, making California the worst state in which to face a felony conviction. The "Three Strikes and You're Out" felony law requires that repeat offenders face increasingly higher punishments for each crime that they commit, up to an automatic sentence of 25 years to life for a third strike.
In California, most felonies are punishable under the Determinate Sentencing laws, meaning that a judge may impose low, middle or high term prison sentences. Usually a judge chooses the middle term but this depends on many mitigating or aggravating factors, including the judge's discretion, the crime's seriousness, the defendant's criminal history and others. Under California law, some crimes are called "wobblers" due to their ability to be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. When expungement or sentencing hangs in the balance over the status of a wobbler, legal representation by an attorney at our firm can tip the justice scales in favor of a misdemeanor and minimize the impact and punishment of a wobbler crime. Some examples of wobblers include:
- Assault
- Battery
- Domestic violence
- Hit and run
- Embezzlement
- Certain drug offenses
- Criminal threats
- Fraud
- Vandalism
- Possession of a firearm
Even the lightest felony convictions can ruin many aspects of every day existence for you by limiting your employment and housing opportunities and the very quality of your life for years to come. In 2003, 68% of the adult arrests in California resulted in convictions. With that number in mind, choosing the right criminal defense attorney can mean the difference between jail and freedom. If we are retained as your legal counsel, you can rest easier knowing that we will aggressively pursue any and all options to secure the best possible outcome available in your criminal case. That includes arranging for alternative sentences which may help you avoid jail altogether and taking your case to trial if necessary.
- We are renowned in the legal community for our professionalism, integrity and knowledge of the law as well as for the positive results we get for our clients. Attorney Stephen G. Rodriguez has appeared on numerous well known television programs giving legal commentary including: Anderson Cooper (AC360), Channel 7 ABC News, Telemundo and UNIVISION. With our strong background in successful criminal defense and the credentials of a winning law firm, you won't go wrong by hiring us to defend the charges you are facing.
Contact a Los Angeles felony attorney at our firm to receive full legal representation to protect your rights and help you achieve the best possible results in your case.