Education

Law School/Year: Loyola University School of Law, Los Angeles, 1977

College/Year: Cal State University Northridge, 1973

Bar Admissions

California, 1978

Practice Areas

Criminal Law

Major Cases

I have been involved in many major cases over the years, perhaps the most famous being People v. Stacy Butler. Butler was charged with the death penalty for the killing of a young police officer. After a hung jury, a conviction and a reversal for prosecutorial misconduct, the defendant and his co-defendants were given the opportunity to plead to voluntary manslaughter resulting in the near immediate release of my client.

Professional Background

Since I was a young prosecutor in Albuquerque, N.M., and then a career defense lawyer in San Diego, I have focused mainly on jury trial work and on homicide, violent crimes and sexual assault cases. I enjoy studying the combination of facts, scientific means of proof and human behavior. Murder, attempted murder, vehicular manslaughter, assault, domestic violence, accusations of rape and other sexual assault all fall into that study.

I have the privilege of managing a small firm of talented criminal lawyers in addition to handling cases myself. We have a total of four lawyers that handle criminal defense cases of all types. Our practice is hectic but exciting.

Professional Affiliations

San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association, Criminal Defense Lawyers Club, San Diego Bar Association

Personal Affiliations

I belong to a great group called the Cowboy Lawyers Association, out of Los Angeles. Imagine a bunch of fairly sophisticated lawyers, judges and friends, trail riding all day until they are sore, and then sitting around a campfire, eating a fine catered meal and listening to some country singer belting out old country tunes. It takes you a long way away from the courtroom. No law talk is allowed.

Personal Background

I was born and raised in Indiana and southern Michigan. We lived in farm country and my dad was an electrical engineer with the local power company. I couldn’t wait to see the world. I came to California out of high school and soon joined the Marines.

I became a squad leader in Vietnam and was part of a very special program where 14 Marines lived in a primitive rural village with the indigenous population and went on combat patrols with the local militia to keep the village free of the Viet Cong. This was part of the U.S. effort to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people. Our village was located immediately adjacent to the city of Hue during the historically significant Tet offensive of 1968.