San Diego Criminal Defense Attorney

Criminal Lawyer Defending DUI, Theft, Violent Crimes & More

When an individual is accused of committing an action which is illegal under state and/or federal law, he or she may face arrest and criminal charges. All cases of this nature are handled in various criminal courts, depending on the nature of the offense and whether it is classified as a state or federal crime. Under the U.S. Constitution, American citizens are granted the right to a fair trial by a jury of their peers, and they are granted the right to legal counsel. Criminal defense representation plays a key role in the U.S. criminal justice system, providing a balance against prosecutorial action by government agencies.

A criminal defense attorney's role in representing a client is essentially to use the legal system in the defendant's favor, protecting the defendant's constitutional rights every step of the way and acting as a representative for him or her in criminal court. A criminal defense attorney can also protect a client during police questioning and at any point in the investigation of a crime, again protecting the client's constitutional rights (such as against an unreasonable search and seizure).

Without criminal defense, defendants would stand little to no chance of a fair trial in criminal court. Without an advocate for their rights and someone to represent their side of the story, convictions would likely happen more often than not, and innocent people would be imprisoned or worse.

Challenging Criminal Charges

There are many different strategies that a competent San Diego criminal defense lawyer may use in order to seek a dismissal or acquittal on a client's behalf. Even in seemingly hopeless cases, there are instances where a single violation of a defendant's rights or a mistake made by a police officer may impact the validity of the prosecution's evidence and therefore their ability to secure a conviction.

For example, what if the police conducted a search without a warrant or probable cause? What if they unlawfully arrested a defendant or failed to give a Miranda warning before conducting questioning? What if evidence was mishandled after it was collected? These are all instances where evidence may be considered inadmissible, a "confession" may be considered invalid or the validity of evidence may be brought into question. A competent attorney will know how to file a motion to suppress this evidence or otherwise work to assert a client's rights and seek a positive case result.

Areas of Practice: San Diego Criminal Defense

With our experience in this field and our commitment to our clients, we see opportunities where others may only see failure. Therefore, even if you feel that you have no chance of winning your case and are considering accepting a plea bargain or forgoing legal counsel altogether, do not give up. Talk to an attorney at our firm and find out what we can do to help you. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that there are ways we can secure a dismissal of your charges or win your case in court.

At our firm, we handle all of the following criminal cases:

San Diego Criminal Defense

In San Diego, when an individual is facing criminal charges, it is vitally imperative to their future to secure legal representation at their soonest convenience. Without an attorney, the case will likely fall through the cracks and face the fate of a harsh prosecution. Click here to learn more about San Diego criminal defense.

Arrested? Know Your Rights.

If you have recently been arrested for any type of criminal offense in San Diego, you should immediately seek an attorney to learn your rights. After an arrest has been made, the officer should have read your Miranda (or Fifth Amendment) Rights - the right to an attorney and the right to remain silent. Click here to learn more about knowing your rights.

DUI Defense

Facing drunk driving charges can be one of the most difficult experiences for an individual. At the time of the arrest, you may be unsure of what you have done wrong or why you are being charged criminally. As an experienced law firm, we strongly advise you to talk to an attorney immediately. Click here to read more about DUI defense.

Multiple DUI

Multiple DUI charges, including your second, third, fourth and subsequent DUI charge, will be difficult to defend in court; prosecutors seek and judges hand out even tougher sentences for repeat offenders in any area of the law. Click here if you would like to continue reading more about multiple DUI charges.

Drug Crimes

Dangerous to your health, body and to others around you, the possession, sales, distribution or cultivation of any type of drug is illegal in California, along with the federal government. Violate this area of the law, and you may be facing enhanced penalties from the federal government. Click here to read more about drug crimes.

Federal Crimes

Federal crimes, including some drug crimes, terrorist threats, and most white collar criminal acts, are found to be some of the most difficult charges to contest; however, they are not impossible. Only an aggressive defense attorney with experience in federal court will be able to handle this case. Click here to read more about federal crimes.

Theft Charges

The criminal act known as theft involves unlawfully taking or stealing with intention of no return and for purposes of personal gain or to harm another individual. Theft crimes that involve violence often involved enhanced penalties, including imprisonment and fines. Click here to read more about theft charges.

Violent Crimes

Violent crimes, or crimes against another human, are the most dangerous offenses due to the fact that they involve harming or threatening to harm another in the process. Violent offenses include murder, manslaughter, domestic violence, assault, abuse and more. Click here to continue reading about violent crimes.

Weapons Charges

Unlawfully owning or firing a weapon can get you in a lot of trouble with the law, which can result in personal consequences as well. Consequences such as fines and possible imprisonment, job loss and financial devastation may follow close behind a weapon charge if not properly handled. Click here to learn more about weapons charges.

White Collar Crimes

What falls under the category of white collar crimes? Used more in the legal world, the term white collar crime refers to any offense involving business or finances. It generally includes some sort of fraudulent activity or scheme, such as a Ponzi scheme. Click here to read more about white collar crimes.

Sex Crimes

Sex-related acts of injustice can devastate a person's life with just one small accusation. A person does not even have to be convicted of an act of this velocity to face the harsh ramifications in their personal life, such as at their job or with personal relationships. Click here to learn more about the defense of sex crimes.

Internet Crimes

Crimes of the internet, including the possession of child pornography, online scams and phishing are all against the law and highly punishable by a variety of consequences. Depending on the circumstance of the crime, you may be facing years of imprisonment and high fines. Click here to learn more about internet crimes.

Juvenile Crimes

When an underage individual is charged with an offense, a life full of criminal consequences follows. Even the most seemingly harmless charges can result in high fines, which you as a parent will be responsible to pay, among other consequences. Click here to read more about the defense of juvenile crimes.

Felonies

Criminal charges are split into two categories: misdemeanor and felony offenses. Felonies are among the more severely penalized offenses and will be treated with aggression by any prosecutor. Felonies include violent offenses, some DUI cases, some drug crimes, and can sometimes put a "strike" on your criminal record. Click here to read more about felonies.

Misdemeanors

Of the two categories of criminal charges, misdemeanor offenses are generally non-violent offenses that have a wide variety of consequences. From imprisonment to fines to probation to license suspension, misdemeanor offenses are no joke. Click here if you would like to learn more about criminal offenses of the misdemeanor category.

Hit & Run

If you have been accused of hit and run after being involved in an accident, talk to the legal team at Superior Law Center without delay. Hit and run is a serious offense, but is often the result of a misunderstanding on the part of one party in the accident. Click here to read more about the crime of hit & run.

Kidnapping

In too many kidnapping cases, a misunderstanding between a custodial parent and a non-custodial parent causes one to report their children missing. It is important to get the legal help you deserve if you have been charged with kidnapping, a serious federal offense that can land you with a long-lasting criminal record. Click here to read more about kidnapping.

Carjacking

What is carjacking? Known as the offense of stealing a person's car while in their presence by using violence or the threat of violence, carjacking can land you in serious trouble if found to be in offense of this law. Consequences for carjacking include a stay in state prison and additional fines if the defendant caused injury to the victim. Click here to read more about carjacking.

Probation Violations

Probation is set similar to a jail-alternative in the sense that it can be used to ensure the prevention of a convicted criminal from further violating the law. However, in some cases where an individual is unable to check in with their probation officer or a misunderstanding leads to an arrest, the person will be in even more trouble. Click here to read more about probation violations.

Resisting Arrest

Failing to comply with an officer's orders is forbidden, and an officer will push for enhanced penalties if you are resisting or evading arrest. Call our legal team today to find out how we can help defend your rights and challenge the charges against you in a case such as this. Click here to learn more about resisting arrest.

Warrants

If you have a warrant out for your arrest and you are tired of constantly worrying when it will catch up to you, talk to the legal team at our firm. We understand that life goes on and you may have moved forward in a positive way. There are still legal repercussions and you will need a lawyer to help avoid some of these. Click here to read more about warrants.

Search and Seizure Violations

When police or law enforcement have a search warrant, the warrant gives specific guidelines as to where they are allowed to search. If your rights have been breached during the investigation due to evidence being illegally obtained, you will need an attorney to prove this to be true. Click here to read more about search and seizure violations.

Traffic Tickets

Speeding tickets, radar tickets and other types of moving violations begin to add up over time. Having just one too many traffic tickets can result in the suspension or revocation of your driving privileges. You can prevent this from happening, though; challenge your charges with help from an attorney. Click here to read more about traffic tickets.

Three Strike Cases

The law in California gives offenders three chances to violate at a certain level before they face life imprisonment. Three strikes crimes generally involve violent felony offenses, including certain narcotic and sex offenses. Get the defense you deserve to prevent a strike on your record. Click here to read more about three strike cases.

Second Strike Penalties

According to California's three strikes laws, the penalty for a second strike offense is a doubled sentence. This means that if the offense you have been arrested for was penalized with 5 years imprisonment, you will have to serve 10 years instead. Click here to read more about second strike penalties.

Third Strike Penalties

California's three strikes law works simply like this: three strikes and you're out. If you rack up a third strike on your criminal record, you will be facing 25 years to life in prison. It is absolutely crucial to have an experienced attorney on your case if it is a strike felony. Click here to read more about third strike penalties.

Why Hire an Attorney

What are the benefits of hiring a criminal defense attorney? Let our lead attorney, Erik Friis, explain to you the pros of having a legal advocate on your side. Aside from the obvious benefit of fighting to keep you from facing consequences, an attorney can do so much more for your case. Click here to read more about why you should hire an attorney.

Appeals

If you have recently been convicted and you have reason to believe that you were wrongly convicted or an event during the trial has drastically changed the outcome of the case, talk to our firm about having your case appealed. Click here if you would like to continue learning more about appeals.

Expungements

Cleaning your criminal record is vitally important if you wish to honestly answer "no" to the following question: "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" Used mostly for minor misdemeanor charges and juvenile offenses, expungements are a great tool that allows people to start over. Click here to read more about expungements.

Criminal Defense Lawyer Serving the San Diego Area

Superior Law Center represents clients throughout San Diego County in the face of a wide variety of crimi nal matters. We are not afraid of going up against the toughest prosecutors in the face of the most serious of criminal offenses and will apply our extensive knowledge and resources to tirelessly protecting our clients' constitutional rights throughout the criminal process. Some of the types of cases we handle include, but are not limited to: juvenile crimes, federal crimes, three strike cases, DUI, theft, and all misdemeanor and felony offenses. We are ready to fight for you!

Get the criminal defense representation you deserve. Contact a San Diego criminal defense attorney at Superior Law Center today.