John Midori Hamasaki

In late 2014, our family was hit by what seemed like the perfect storm. Our business was barely holding on, we began caretaking my grandfather post-stroke, and my grandmother was terminally ill. And when we thought things couldn't get harder, my father, a small businessman with a strong reputation in... local SF community, was arrested based on false accusations. A man with no criminal history and has owned his business in the same location for over 25 years was charged with committing a criminal threat against a troublesome customer and brandishing a weapon when in reality it was self defense. Although he has worked in the same location for so many years, it hasn't been the safest. Our store has been victim to many troublesome customers and robberies, including armed robberies, throughout the years. The day my father was arrested, he brandished a firearm in self defense because a hostile customer was challenging him to fight. Accused him of damaging items he barely touched and escalated to wanting to fight. When my dad wouldn't fight and instead brandished the firearm, the customer left and it seemed like the end of it. Then the nightmare came. The customer had called the police and made up a story of how my father threatened his life with the firearm. And when the surveillance was pulled, there was no audio. My father was arrested and we began almost a year and a half journey of court hearings and worry. We hear all the time of innocent people wrongly convicted and incarcerated. What if my father became a statistic? We spent a long time searching for the right lawyer as we were in a vulnerable position, skeptical of others especially after how the police handled the situation. We spent searching for a little over 2 weeks and John Hamasaki was our choice. From the very first phone call to our first meet, John was always very straightforward about our options and made it clear that it would be a process we would have to go through, but he would do everything he could to make sure we fought this case the right way. John was very attentive to all the details of the case and made our family feel that our case was of priority, which we appreciate a lot. We know lawyers are extremely busy handling multiple cases but John was never too busy to answer our countless questions. Everyone who worked in his office was always more than courteous and welcoming. And we never made it to trial. The felony was dismissed at the preliminary hearing and the DA offered to dismiss the misdemeanor while we were scheduling for trial. I credit this solely to Johns strategic decisions in scheduling our hearings and talking with the DA. Our family felt each move in our case was well calculated and that's when you know you're working with a great lawyer. We can't thank the office of John Hamasaki enough for what they have given us, which is a new start. My father is 63 years old and with all the stress finally lifted, he can now focus on his well being which is a better quality of life to spend with loved ones. And that is something no words could express how grateful we are of John Hamasaki. Thank you John, truly.

John Hamasaki is an excellent criminal defense attorney. John represented me when I was facing 4 felonies and 3 misdemeanors. At the time I was a freshman at UC Santa Cruz and my education was at the forefront of my priorities. I needed to obtain the best possible outcome in this situation in order t...o move forward and focus on my studies, with John’s help I was able to do just that. Shortly after my arrest John came to visit me in jail and offered to represent me and I am beyond grateful he did. John explained legal proceedings in terms that I could understand and assured me he would work his hardest to achieve the result I desired. John was extremely supportive and informative throughout the entire process. It was clear to me that John was working his hardest every single step of the way and that he actually cared about my case. Due to John’s knowledge and experience I was able to put that situation to rest with a completely clean record, an outcome I never thought would be possible. When you hire John you are definitely hiring a top criminal defense lawyer.

I make my living from buying computers and other goods from Craigslist and reselling them. Unbeknownst to me, I was buying Apple Macbooks from a guy who was stealing from the company he was working for. He got busted and pulled me into the mess as well. The cops got a search warrant and ransacked ...my place -- took all my working capital (laptops and cash) and my camera as well! I ended up staying 2 nights in jail and had 6 counts of misdemeanors to deal with. Then by the hand of fate, John was appointed to represent me. In less than a month, he got my camera back. And in just a few short months, he got my case dismissed!!! I got all my cash and assets that were rightfully mine back. Not only is John on top of his game who delivers but he is also indeed a life saver!!

I found John on Yelp and decided to hire him after he put me at major ease and instilled confidence in me of his skills just after our initial consultation. John helped me with my very first ever criminal arrest and for anyone who has experienced this, I'm sure you are familiar with the insane amount... of anxiety, stress, and pain that it involves. This was quite significantly minimized and all because of John's professional support, his hard work, and I also really appreciated that he remained open-minded through the entirety of the process, while still being very realistic. John is also very familiar with many others in the greater San Francisco area, so you will have the advantage of not only his already credible reputation, but his invaluable knowledge and familiarity with the SFDA's office. He is very friendly with everyone. In that vein, I also was impressed not only with John's expertise and skills, but his ability to maintain both professionalism and still remaining very pleasantly approachable, accessible, and relatable. He is very knowledgeable, super practical, very efficient, excellent at communication, and fights tooth and nail to ensure the fairest and most ideal outcome for your situation. On top of that, he offers very fair prices, considering the high quality of services and professional candor that he delivers for it. For anyone with an applicable/relevant case, DEFINITELY hit Mr. Hamasaki up - you will not regret it for a second.

I would recommend John without any hesitation whatsoever. Not only is he extremely talented and intelligent, but he is very approachable and patient. He took the time to decide with me what the best course of action would be—ultimately making me feel comfortable and confident about the case. He w...as always well-prepared and willing to answer all of my questions about my charges which stemmed from a demonstration. His experience and intuition made him able to anticipate unexpected decisions by the District Attorney, which was very helpful. In the end, thanks to his thorough work my charges were dismissed without even having to go to trial or even take a settlement. Thanks John for the wonderful work!