Attorney Profiles

I graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1999. Prior to graduating, I had already accepted a position in Washington, D.C. with the U.S. Department of Justice, as an Honor Attorney for the Litigation Branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. 

I then returned to California to work for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit as a staff attorney. I presented cases and my recommendations to a panel of three federal appellate judges once a month. The experience at these jobs was invaluable and an honor. 

I then decided to make an impact on a more local level. While working for the federal government was a fantastic experience, I wanted to be involved with the actual people I read about in the appellate records.  At that point, I decided to become admitted to the California State Bar, and I passed the bar exam on my first attempt.

I accepted a position as a deputy district attorney in San Mateo County, where I prosecuted crimes from petty thefts to attempted murder. I took numerous cases to jury trial and was a misdemeanor jury trial supervisor for a quarter. 

However, in my position at the D.A.'s office, I did not have the discretion to ensure that justice was served in a manner I thought to be fair. I concluded that my experience and expertise would be better served in defending the accused.

In my years as a criminal defense attorney, I have been able to help change the course of people's lives. Whether getting a case dismissed so a young person's record remains clean or convincing the judge to give a person with an addiction problem a chance at treatment instead of prison, I am always thinking of my clients' best interests. I take great pride in my work and I know that my past professional experience has given me the insight necessary to aggressively defend my clients.

My job is always two-fold: (1) to obtain the best possible offer for you in your case and (2) should you decide the offer is not appropriate, to take your case to trial for an aggressive defense in front of a jury. I once had a jury acquit a client in less than ten minutes!

I look forward to working with you and defending you in your matter.  Call me today for a free consultation.

Areas of Practice

• Criminal Defense
• DUI
• Drug Crimes
• Thefts, Embezzlements, White Collar Crime
• Serious & Violent Crimes
• Three Strikes Cases

Litigation Percentage

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

• California, 2001

Education

• Santa Clara University School of Law, Santa Clara, California, 1999
  J.D.
  Law Review: Santa Clara University Law Review, Honors Moot Court, 1998 - 1999
  
  
• Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA, 1996
  B.S.
  Major: Political Science
  Minor: Spanish
  
  

Published Works

• Will California's Sexually Violent Predators Act Survive Constitutional Attacks?, 39 Santa Clara L.Rev, 317, 1998

Professional Associations and Memberships

• San Mateo County Bar Association, 1999 - Present
  Member
  
  
• State Bar of California, 2001 - Present
  Member
  
  
• California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, 2005 - Present
  Member
  
  
• California Public Defenders Association, 2005 - Present
  Member
  
  

Past Employment Positions

• San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, Deputy District Attorney, June 26, 2001 - December 30, 2004
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Staff Attorney, Criminal Division, March 13, 2000 - June 15, 2001
• U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Honor Attorney, Litigation Branch, September 27, 1999 - February 24, 2000

Ancillary Businesses

• Traffic Tickets

Languages

• English
• Spanish