Catina L. Irvin

I have been dealing with my case for four years now and in my many trips to the courthouse I’ve seen countless defendants meet their attorney for the first time in the hallway and be talked into a less than ideal outcome by their own attorney. Often times the defense attorneys would stand in front of... the judge with only a vague understanding of their client’s circumstances only to be corrected by the DA and defendants themselves! I contacted Ms. Irvin through the Fresh Start law group since my case was eligible for termination of probation and reduction of a felony conviction. She and I met for over an hour prior to my first expungement hearing and she diligently took notes as I explained the circumstances leading to my conviction and what life on probation was like. When we got to the court room we faced STRONG opposition from the ADA who had been working my case the entire time. Typically judges will go along with the recommendations that the DA’s office sets out and so I went in with pretty low expectations. Early in the proceedings, the ADA made a large but nuanced false statement to the judge concerning my case and Ms. Irvin immediately refuted the claim even though I had only been able to brief her for an hour regarding the circumstances. Even though we were not there to relitigate my case, I really think this quick decisive correction was essential because this no nonsense judge expressed to the ADA that she should “turn down the temperature” against me. While the judge ultimately went along with the DA office’s suggestion that I remain on probation, he used his discretion to change my probation to non-reporting meaning I did not have to check in with my probation officer monthly anymore. He also set another court date for 6 months in the future to revisit early termination of probation, felony reduction and expungement. Six months later I met with Ms. Irvin again outside the courtroom for about thirty minutes. To my surprise she remembered most of the details around my circumstance and presented me with the fact that a new law had been put into place four months prior that left me entitled to a termination of probation. Needless to say, I was once again impressed by her attention to detail and general aptitude. As we got into the courtroom, a stand in DA tried to tell her that my case didn’t qualify for the new law and that I wasn’t entitled to early termination because of a negotiated plea deal. She quickly refuted this with a thorough in-depth explanation of the new law which the ADA eventually admitted was accurate and that holding me on probation any longer was in fact illegal. Equipped and prepared in front of the same judge, Ms. Irvin effectively explained our position and petitions in a way that was professional and courteous. Within a couple days, the judge returned decision of early termination of probation, felony reduction AND expungement from my record. I’m sitting here for the first time in four years as a truly free man ready to move on with the next chapter of my life. I encountered MANY attorneys throughout this experience, whether they were a consultation or represented me for a time and I can easily say that Catina is the best!

Cristina was probably one of the best people that could ever happen to me I had multiple convictions preventing me from getting work I have been to jail for five times and finally after calling and being referred to her through an expungement attorney I found myself in amazing hands of somebody who u...nderstands how to fight and when to fight. She expunged to leave my connections Driving on a suspended license as well as many other things that are associated with this situation.

Attorney Irvin handled a simple possession case for me two years ago and was able to get me Diversion and expungement. However, the DA filed a second case against me right afterwards and issued a warrant that I was eventually picked up on. While the Sheriff wanted to hold me to appear on the warrant..., attorney Irvin was able to negotiate a cite & release where I got out immediately and even better she negotiated with the DA to dismiss my case. Her diligence and intelligence helped me to solve a very tough and stressful situation!

Awesome! This is the only word that came to mind when thinking of Catina Irvin. I am a 2 striker and was sentenced to a 5 year probation sentence. And although the district attorney was tough and fought hard not to terminate my sentence Catina stepped right in and fought even harder for me which not ...only terminated my probation early but expunged my case also. This has allowed me to move forward in life. Without Catina representing me I truly believe the judge would of have went with the district attorneys recommendation of leaving me on probation. I can’t thank Catina enough for her dedication to my case. I have had other lawyers before and they made me feel like I was just a paycheck to them. Catina is of a different breed from them. You can tell she actually cares and takes pride in her work which is hard to find in people today. I would highly recommend Catina to represent any one I know or who is reading this review. Once again thank you for not or being an excellent and attentive lawyer but a good person.