New clients often call or come into the office and ask if it really makes a difference if they hire a lawyer or use the public defender. I normally say that I have been doing this for a long time. I can give their case a lot more time and personal attention than a public defender and I make my living getting better results than the public defender.
Here is a good example of the difference between hiring me and hiring a public defender. A client (AC) hired me for a serious felony in Van Nuys. I resolved the case with probation, but soon after she was placed on probation she was arrested in Ventura County…5 times in a short period of time. She didn’t want to hire me for the Ventura cases so she went to court and ask for the public defender. The public defender pled her guilty to a misdemeanor on the first court date. They paid no mind to her status on felony probation in Van Nuys.
Worried about the outcome she decided to hire me for the rest of the misdemeanors in Ventura and the probation violation in Van Nuys. When she hired me, she only told me about two of the Ventura cases and she didn’t tell me she was on probation there. I resolved all four remaining cases. I got 3 reduced to infractions and one settled as a misdemeanor with probation and 5 days of work release (community labor) as the punishment. I then resolved the probation violation in Van Nuys with no finding of violation.
A.C. is now living in a sober living home and working for a state licensed rehabilitation facility in Los Angeles County – no thanks to her public defender in Ventura. This is one of many examples of how a little bit of patients and attention can be the difference between a lot of jail time (or prison) and a new lease on life.
If you or someone close to you has been arrested or charged with a crime, call an experienced lawyer who can help. Call a real lawyer who goes to court every day to serve clients, one client at a time.
Call me, attorney Jeffrey Vallens (818) 783-5700 or (888) 764-4340 or
Email me at: vallenslaw@yahoo.com or visit my sites for more information: