Orange County's Premier Criminal Defense Attorney. Consistently named on the Super Lawyers' Southern California Rising Stars List, an honor reserved for only 2.5% of attorneys who exhibit excellence in practice and the National Trial Association's prestigious Top 40 Under 40 list.Â
Neeraj began his legal career through opportunities to work with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, the Orange County Superior Court, and the United States Department of Justice.
But Neeraj's interest in the law goes back to high school when a friend from a less affluent background was charged with selling drugs. The friend had been putting the money he made from drug sales into his father's wallet at night.
“No one should be defined by the fact that he was once in handcuffs,” Neeraj says. “My friend got kicked out of school. It changed his life.”
Neeraj is now able to fight for the rights of other good people whose lives have been impacted by criminal charges, such as a single mother with a disabled son who lost her job after being charged with theft.
The mother, a nurse by profession, would leave the house every day pretending to go to work so as not to cause her son distress. In actuality, she was volunteering with a local food bank, which also kept her family fed.
By conducting his own investigation, Neeraj was able to establish his client's innocence. The D.A.'s office dropped the case and the client was able to resume her career helping others.
In his free time, Neeraj volunteers for the California Innocence Project, an organization dedicated to releasing wrongfully convicted inmates.
When not practicing law, he enjoys going to Disneyland with his wife and cooking (the spicier the better!). Neeraj is also a passionate fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, and was featured in the Orange County Register for winning "Fan of the Game" in the 2010 Finals against the Boston Celtics.