Growing up in the Monterey Bay area, specifically Santa Cruz, California was a great thing. In 1994, I graduated from Aptos High School and moved to Monterey, CA (this is why my practice concentrates in the 2 connected counties).
For the next several few years, I worked in the local community and went to college.
In 2001, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming an attorney and enrolled in Monterey College of Law. I worked hard and was lucky enough to obtain an internship at the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office working on high end and complicated cases. These amazing experiences lead me to be retained at the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office where I was sworn in as a Certified Law Student. This position included handling criminal cases, motions, and trials. After working in San Benito for about a year, the District Attorney’s office hired me on as the Paralegal.
Eventually, I graduated from Monterey College of Law with a Doctor of Jurisprudence and moved back to Santa Cruz. My position in San Benito as the Paralegal continued as I studied for and passed the California Bar Exam.
I was sworn in as a Special Deputy District Attorney after passing the bar. In that position, I handled much of the litigation in the office and worked with the California District Attorney’s Association.
After about a year I realized I was much more defense oriented, especially for people not really belonging in the system. To pursue my realized dream, I took a position as a Deputy Public Defender in the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office. This position included working in the Juvenile and Superior Court System. My experiences led me into private practice where I could give the required attention to my clients in order to help them meet their goals.
Now I concentrate on Driving Under the Influence (DUI) cases, which includes driving under the influence of prescription medication, and illegal substances (many people mistakenly believe DUI can only be charged for alcohol).
My firm handles all criminal matters and can help you out with most related matters. One of the unique features of my firm is that I limit the number of cases I take – I learned this is required from my experience in the public defender’s office.
When picking an attorney, I’m not going to tell you to pick me – you should pick the attorney that you feel most comfortable dealing with that is going to help you meet your goals. They should be honest with you from the beginning in telling you what you can reasonably expect from the facts of your case and help you find the best solution for your situation…whether it is a negotiated plea to help avoid losing your license to a full jury trial to attempt to save your career.
If you think I might be that attorney, give me a call and we’ll see if your situation if one that I can and want to help you with.