Martin Baker

This client (the reviewer's son) voluntarily pled no contest to two robberies and three felony thefts after being made fully aware of the state of the evidence and the potential consequences of the plea. He has yet to be sentenced. As I make clear on my website, the only promise I will ever make to a potential or existing client is that I will do everything in my power to ensure that they are treated fairly and the best possible outcome is attained in their case. This case was prosecuted as a "career criminal" case under Penal Code section 999(e), which legally prevented the DA from entering into a plea bargain, leaving the defendant with the choice of "pleading open" or going to trial. In many cases, including this one, going to trial can present a risk of a much harsher sentence, even if one or more charges are ultimately not proven to a jury. Finally, it would be a very serious ethical violation for attorneys to trade a good deal in one case for a bad deal in another, as this review implies.