Joe was actually my third attorney. I interviewed many attorneys but at the time really did not know what distinguished the good from the bad. They all sell themselves well. My first lawyer was well respected, high profile and very experienced. However most of the case work was handled by lower ranks... of his staff and after a few months I felt it best to find someone else that could put my case higher on his priority list. My second attorney was a much better experience. He represented me through my Preliminary Hearing and did an above average job. However, I felt he wasn’t fighting for issues I felt were important. Leaving this attorney was a difficult decision. My case was fairly complicated and I was afraid another attorney would never catch up and understand the details that took this attorney nearly a year to fully comprehend. Then came Joe. I first learned of him from a case of his in published in the local paper. I then became aware of avvo (wish I had much earlier) and saw his excellent rating, reviews and endorsements. More importantly, I read his contributions and felt extremely confident he was sharp and knowledgeable. I had one concern..he had only been a defense attorney for 5 or 6 years. In my mind I ‘thought’ I needed someone that had been a defense attorney for 20+ years. However I quickly noticed he had been a prosecutor since 1996. In the end this was actually better in my opinion, as Joe was an experienced DA with great knowledge of exactly how the Orange County DAs office functions. My first meeting with Joe was time consuming and I never felt rushed. As stated my case was complicated, but Joe is a very fast learner. My case was multiple counts of the most serious felonies, that carried many years in state prison had I been convicted. Joe was honest and made me no promises. He even questioned my problems with previous attorneys to make sure hiring him was an actual benefit to me. After collecting all of the details of the case, I felt that regardless of the ultimate outcome, Joe would at least fight for me and do everything within his power to put me in the best possible position should the case go to trial. I hired him that day and left him with hundreds of pages of discovery and transcripts. Joe had one week before my first hearing and to my astonishment, he already knew 95% of the entire case and could quote page numbers of information within discovery. He simply told me..”I like to read and write”. I assure you, this is a VERY important and underrated quality to look for in a defense attorney! Working with Joe was very comfortable. When new information came in he made sure I was up to date. He took the time to stay and talk with me in the lobby after each and every court date. He legitimately seemed to care about my case and I never felt like it was just another job to him. I had several hearings after hiring Joe. Most of the hearings were regarding issues contested by the DA. Joe puts his client first and is willing to fight for what he thinks is the right move. An example of his work was a contested subpoena that required 2 additional declarations of facts. This resulted in an in-camera review by the judge which we ultimately prevailed on after 5 or 6 months of fighting for this document alone! Point being, Joe works hard to get results for each issue at hand. In the end his hard work will put you in the best possible position. After receiving all of the facts/discovery of my case the DA asked Joe if he was ready to set a trial date. Joe responded with “I am ready for motions and hearings”. My case was definitely aimed for trial. Yet, while the DA ignored flaws in their case, Joe worked relentlessly to get results that left the DA little choice, other than a full dismissal of all felony counts. I have no doubt that no matter how small the case, or if you are as unfortunate as I was to be facing a long prison sentence, that Joe fights for his clients and gives it his all.

Joe handles all of his own case work. At times I believed I would need private investigation or expert witnesses, yet Joe felt it was unnecessary and money wasted (wow, an attorney that wants to save me money?!?) What separated Joe from everyone else was his ability to listen and at times teach. I h...ad many, many issues and discovery requests previous attorneys blew off. Joe agreed with me on almost every issue. And on the issues we disagreed on he explained the problem. He formulated a plan. Instead of focusing primarily on trial issues, or a plea (which he knew I wanted no part of), he explained to me that it is a step by step process and what needed to be done with discovery, motions and hearings. Focus on your next court date! The DA fought us on many requests and Joe held firm which even resulted in a ‘formal’ discovery request where a judge had to intervene. Thank god Joe is a writer because he wrote many motions during my case and they were all well written and thought out. I had to learn patience, however. The legal process is so slow, I feel for anyone that goes through the system. Joe also lets you work with him! What I mean is, no one should know your case better than YOU! Ultimately it is your life on the line. Be your own best asset, read, observe and fight. My case was hundreds of pages long. I’d imagine some get into the thousands. Help your attorney find flaws and discrepancies! Joe allowed me to help, listened, taught, and had many meetings with me in person to discuss newly found issues and strategies. Joe can be hard to get a hold of on the phone. This initially scared me, as previous attorneys seemed to do NOTHING when I wasn’t in contact. However, Joe’s secretary/assistant, Kathi, is amazing. She makes sure Joe receives your messages and concerns and she is always prompt and caring. She does more than that. She assisted in a lot of the foot work, contact information and long telephone hold times that were present in my case. She was great to work with as well. While Joe was at times hard to get a hold of on the phone, he did always call when something important came up. More importantly, and I cannot understate this, even though you are not talking to Joe in person, he receives your input, and is working behind the scenes to get things done! Every court date with Joe was progress..I definitely cannot say that with my previous attorneys. When the time came and a plea deal was made, Joe made me aware of the all of the options. A plea was never in my mind and after I told Joe my answer, he promised me he would not ask again unless a new, even better plea was offered. I think he sensed my position, but every attorney has an obligation to explain what has been offered. I very much appreciate Joe not pressuring me into a decision, but I am also grateful for his input during the process. My advice to anyone who is offered a plea would be to prepare yourself for when this day comes and think about it for at least a night. Trust me, it is very stressful making life decisions, especially after the toll a criminal case has taken. Again, Joe obtained a full dismissal on multiple felony counts that carried serious consequences and prison time. The reason for dismissal was BECAUSE of the work Joe did, not because the DA had a change of heart. For this, I could never pay Joe back. Thank you so much Joe! You ended 2 years of misery and gave me my life back. For what it’s worth, Joe is a very likable guy with a good sense of humor. You are in the best hands possible and will feel very comfortable throughout the journey.

Joe was extremely helpful in understanding the unfortunate situation in which I found myself. After a 45 minute consultation I was comfortable that I was about to select the correct attorney to represent me. We agreed on a course of action and his recommendation was spot on. We took our informatio...n to court and the case was dismissed. Thanks to Joe and his staff.