Michael Edmund Cardoza

Michael Edmund Cardoza

3.4
Rating: 9.1

Licensed for 53 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Walnut Creek, CA
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Employment & Labor ... +2 more

1407 Oakland Blvd, Ste 200, Walnut Creek, CA

About Michael

Practice Areas

5

Practice Areas

Real Estate 23%

12 years

23%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in California for 53 years

State: California

Acquired: 1972

Active

No misconduct found

Location

The Cardoza Law Offices

1407 Oakland Blvd, Ste 200, Walnut Creek, CA, 94596

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Michael Edmund Cardoza's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

3.4 /5.0

5 Client Reviews

5 star (3)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (2)

Posted by Phil | December 26, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Rude and unpleasant experience

He was a scam attorney . He will not help, he is greedy and rude. His associates are all very low level and incompetent. They were rude and stupid. I don’t recommend them. He makes false promises to people.

Posted by Patricia | February 23, 2021 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Highly recommend

If you’re looking for integrity, professionalism, honesty, and expertise Michael Cardoza is your man. I hired him for a family member. Michael and his entire office are amazing. Despite his many years of practice, and accolades he is down to earth, patient and explains things in the simplest ways.... He is a top trial lawyer, highly respected by judges and colleagues, which is evident when he walks into the court room and takes command. He helped us through the most difficult time in our lives with compassion, diligence and his calm demeaner. Michael got us the best scenario we could have hoped for. I highly recommend the Cardoza Law Office.

Posted by Dana | May 9, 2017 | Consulted Attorney

This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.

Great advice

I had a very difficult decision to make on whether or not to pursue legal action against a former employer. I met with Michael to review my situation and to get a better understanding of what it might costs to move forward. Based on his experience and advice, I decided against it. He spent several... hours reviewing my documents and, in the end, charged me nothing. I would recommend Michael to anyone who needs a lawyer to actually sit down and listen and then do what's right for the client, not the law firm.

Posted by BC | January 2, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Michael Cardoza Excellent Legal Council

Michael Cardoza is excellent! Michael Cardoza and his entire staff are excellent! From the initial contact with the office staff and all the way through the trial Michael and his staff took great care, consideration and thoughtfulness of me. Their expertise is the best bar none. Michale Cardoza and J...oyti Rekhi worked tirelessly on my case. They were always available, thorough in their work, ethical, knowledgeable, empathetic and realistic. My case took almost 3 years. They have a network of expert professionals to assist as needed as was the case in my defense. I have become very familiar with lawyers and their performance. If you need representation Michael Cardoza is the man!

Posted by anonymous | January 29, 2015

Don't hire this lawyer!

I hired him for a federal criminal case. However he's not knowledgeable and also not familiar with Federal court procedures as a senior lawyer. He couldn't answer my legal questions nor help me out. After retained him for a few weeks, I decided to terminate him and find someone else. With just that ...few weeks and nothing was done, he charged me thousands of dollars. If you try to find a lawyer to help you, please don't hire him. It will be a wrong choice.

See All Client Reviews

Michael Edmund Cardoza's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Michael
James A. Bach headshot
James Bach

Criminal defense lawyer | Oct 17

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I highly recommend Mr. Cardoza and his firm, after referring a criminal matter to him. Mr. Cardoza was able to resolve the case quickly and with an outcome that far exceeded my expectations based on the initial charges."

Michael S. Waddington headshot
Michael Waddington

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Michael. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

View All Endorsements

No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  9.1 (Superb)

Honors

2014

Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers

2008

Super Lawyer, Northern California Super Lawyers

2007

Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association

Work Experience

1994 - 2014

Owner, Cardoza Law Offices, Inc

1985 - 1994

Chief Operating Officer, Continental Savings

1975 - 1985

Senior Trial Attorney, Alameda County District Attorney's Office

1973 - 1975

Assistant District Attorney, San Francisco District Attorney

1972 - 1973

Assistant District Attorney, Los Angeles/Orange County, Ca

Associations

2005 - Present

California Deuce Defenders

Member

2005 - Present

California Attorneys for Criminal Justice

Member

2000 - Present

American Trial Lawyers Association

Member

1995 - Present

California Public Defenders Association

Member

Education

1971

McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific

JD - Juris Doctor

1966

University of San Francisco

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2013

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2012

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2011

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2010

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2009

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2008

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2007

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2006

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2005

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2004

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

2003

Stanford Advocacy Trial Skills Workshop

Trial Advocacy

Languages

Spanish

English

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution