Northern California Three-Strikes Law Attorneys

Hayward - Fremont - Pleasanton - Alameda - Oakland

California three-strikes law cases are very serious, since the level of punishment (25 years to life in prison) is much higher than for similar cases that are not charged under the three-strikes law.

Given the magnitude of the punishment, it's important to hire an experienced criminal trial lawyer. If your attorney is unable to negotiate down the three-strikes offense, it might be necessary to take your case to trial.

Our lawyers have a great deal of experience in handling California three-strikes law cases. We have tried a number of three-strikes law cases in Alameda County as well as in other counties in northern California. We have never had a client receive twenty-five years to life in a three-strikes case.

Many clients and families believe that any conviction regardless if it is a felony or a misdemeanor is a strike. This is not true. Only felonies can be strikes and only those felonies that are considered serious or violent are strikes. For example, first-degree burglary (residential burglary) is a strike, while second degree burglary (commercial burglary) is not a strike. We know which offenses are strikes and can let you know at the outset if the charged offense is a strike. We are also skilled at getting charges that are strikes reduced to charges that are not strikes.

The district attorney's office has a lot of discretion about whether to charge someone with a second- or third-strike offense. Even if you are charged, the district attorney's office has the discretion to dismiss those charges.

If you are arrested for a new offense and have a strike prior, our lawyers can work with the district attorney and the judge to try and get the prior dismissed so that a prison sentence is not mandatory. If you have two strikes and the new offense is potentially a third, we work to get the prior strikes dismissed so that you will not have to go to prison for twenty-five years to life.

In one case the firm recently handled, the client was charged with a new felony and he had two strike priors. He was facing twenty-five to life. We were able to convince the district attorney to dismiss the two prior strikes and the judge to grant probation on the new charge with a 60-day jail sentence to be served on weekends.

Free Initial Consultation: Contact a northern California three-strikes law attorney at Bonjour, Thorman, Baray & Billingsley. Se habla Español.