William Vadim Pernik

We proudly serve clients throughout Monterey County from our office in Salinas. We accept cases in Santa Cruz, San Benito, Carmel, and select cases from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

What Sets Us Apart from Other Defense Firms in the Area?

We stand out from the rest because of our unparalleled commitment to our clients and our expertise in handling the most complex criminal cases.

With hard work, skill, and determination, we have been fortunate to win many victories for our clients. In every case, we develop a personal connection with our clients and use our knowledge to provide our clients with the best possible legal counsel combined with empathy and understanding. Our clients know we genuinely care to see them overcome the often seemingly insurmountable odds. For this reason, we are never more than a phone call away and provide free initial consultations.

What We Offer Our Clients
Experience and integrity – We provide relentless and passionate advocacy for clients, unimpeded by a desire to be liked by judges or prosecutors. We do not back down when faced with stiff opposition and will relentlessly fight to obtain the best possible outcome in every case.
Personal attention – We provide a personal commitment to each and every client and fearless advocacy in criminal courts. Whether this is your first brush with the law, or you feel weighed down by your past, we will make sure that you are treated with respect, fairness, and dignity you deserve.
Aggressive advocacy - To successfully defend each criminal case, we meticulously prepare every aspect of your defense, painstakingly investigate the facts and research the law, and strategically craft the most compelling motions and arguments to persuade judges and juries.
Compassion and understanding – We provide our clients with caring and compassionate guidance throughout this difficult situation and present you with a realistic and professional assessment of your case. We do not attempt to scare anyone with unlikely worst-case scenarios or pressure you into a premature or ill-advised plea.

Our founding attorney, William Pernik, is especially well-known for his excellence in defending clients with serious mental illness, developmental disabilities, severe substance abuse disorders, and defense of veterans. Mr. Pernik tried many cases in front of different Monterey County judges, as well as in courtrooms in the surrounding counties, and has obtained dismissals or acquittals in complex, sensitive, and high-profile cases, including a recent acquittal in a high profile murder case, as well as other cases involving accusations of sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, theft and property crimes, gang crimes, gun crimes, and drug and alcohol-related offenses.

Mr. Pernik is joined at the firm by his long-time friend and colleague, Roland Soltesz, who brings with him a keen understanding of cutting-edge issues in forensic sciences, such as DNA, blood, and fingerprint analysis, crime scene and accident reconstruction, ballistics, and many others.

Together, Mr. Pernik and Mr. Soltesz form a powerhouse legal defense team that is ready to take on the toughest of opponents, and they have won many courtroom victories for our clients.

Attorney Jaidee Serrano joined the law firm to provide quality representation for everybody and the  Spanish-speaking community. Ms.Serrano exists not only as an attorney but also as a trustworthy confidant for her clients. With her, clients will always know what to expect, and every step is an informed decision she will walk them through. Her success has led to dismissals in drug trafficking, child sex trafficking, theft of government funds, cash smuggling, illegal re-entry cases, and more.

Attorney William Pernik is a cum laude graduate of University of San Francisco School of Law, with CALI Awards for Excellence in Death Penalty Law, Federal Courts, and Juvenile Law. He excelled academically in his legal studies and graduated with a Certificate in Public Interest Law. After passing the California Bar on his first try, William Pernik worked as a research attorney for a prestigious criminal defense firm in San Francisco, and later in the Public Defender Offices in Tulare and Monterey counties, where he learned the tools of the trade from some of the finest criminal lawyers in the industry.

During his career as a public defender in Tulare County, Mr. Pernik distinguished himself by obtaining a record number of acquittals in complex felony cases, including three strikes DUI with multiple victims who sustained great bodily injuries, crimes of residential burglary, armed robbery, rape, kidnapping, assaults, thefts, domestic violence, and sales of drugs, among others. He fought the Tulare prosecutors in many serious gang cases, including capital homicides, and was successful in obtaining a dismissal of all charges against his gang injunction client after several years of fighting the case in trial and appellate courts. He also defended a well-publicized murder trial of a wrong-way drunk driver who killed two people and seriously injured a third, who survived.

Mr. Pernik continued his career as a public defender in Monterey County, where he moved in 2012 after meeting his wife. During that time, he took special interest in cases involving mentally ill or developmentally disabled clients, veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, and persons with serious substance abuse disorders. Because of Mr. Pernik's efforts, many of these cases were dismissed, received special consideration at sentencing and from the Probation Department, or benefited from diversion or referrals to specialty courts, such as drug court or mental health court. Mr. Pernik tried many cases in front of different Monterey County judges and has obtained dismissals or acquittals in many complex or sensitive matters, such as carjacking, assaults with deadly weapon or causing great bodily injuries, gang crimes, residential burglaries, meeting a minor for lewd purposes, domestic violence, attempted murder, rape, and sodomy, to name a few.

Mr. Pernik left the Public Defender's Office to start his own practice in September of 2015. He lives in Monterey County with his wife, Olga, and his dog, Charlie. In his free time, Mr. Pernik enjoys the outdoors, theater, chess, and travel. He is a secret fan of most things Wild West.