Criminal Defense
A good California criminal defense attorney can bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources to your case.
How We Defend Criminal Defense Cases
Whether you are facing a misdemeanor citation or a complex felony indictment, the early hours of a criminal case set the tone for everything that follows.
Andrei Lapine personally evaluates every file, identifies the prosecution's weakest points, and walks you through every realistic outcome — from dismissal to diversion to trial.
You will never feel like a case number. You will know exactly where you stand, what's coming next, and how we plan to win.
Our defense methodology blends old-school courtroom craft with modern investigation — digital forensics, surveillance retrieval, expert witnesses, and meticulous motion practice. The State spends years building cases; we treat every defense with the same seriousness.
Because most cases never reach a jury, plea negotiation is its own discipline. We come to the table with a trial-ready file, leverage, and a reputation that gets prosecutors to listen.
What's at Stake
- ▸Misdemeanors: up to 1 year in county jail, fines up to $1,000, probation
- ▸Felonies: 16 months to life in state prison depending on the charge
- ▸Three Strikes exposure on serious or violent felonies
- ▸Collateral consequences: immigration, professional licensing, custody, employment
- ▸Mandatory restitution, victim fees, and court assessments
How We Fight Back
- Constitutional challenges to the stop, search, or interrogation
- Insufficient evidence on one or more elements
- Mistaken identity and alibi
- Affirmative defenses: self-defense, necessity, duress, entrapment
- Diversion and mental-health alternatives (PC 1001.36, PC 1001.95)
- Statute of limitations and speedy-trial violations
How Your Case Will Be Handled
We meet — in person, by phone, or by video — to hear your side, review every document, and identify the prosecution's theory before it solidifies.
We send our own investigators after the witnesses, the surveillance, the bodycam, and the records the State would rather you never see.
Motions to suppress, Pitchess motions, expert retention, and negotiation — every lever pulled before a jury is ever empaneled.
Dismissal, reduction, diversion, or a trial verdict — we prepare every case as if it will be tried, because the State takes notice when a defense lawyer means it.
Criminal Defense FAQs
Every Hour Matters in a Criminal Defense Case.
Speak directly with Andrei Lapine. Free, confidential, and available 24/7 for urgent matters.
Related Defense Areas
Charges often overlap. If your case involves more than criminal defense, we defend these related matters across California.
