I have been litigating misdemeanor and felony cases, including jury trials, since 1995 as a Deputy Public Defender and Alternate Defender in California, and between 2005-2007 in Hawaii as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Special Assistant United States Attorney, and now as a defense attorney in private practice.  I was a supervising attorney, supervising a Team of 14 attorneys and 6 Investigators/Investigative Assistants at Harbor Justice Center, where our cases involved misdemeanor and felony cases, and collaborative court assignments from DUI and Drug Courts.

For three years during 2016-2019 I was the Head of Court for the Dependency Unit at Juvenile Court, and additionally as a Supervising Attorney for the Delinquency Unit during 2019 as well.  The Dependency Unit enabled me to litigate cases during our agency’s representation of parents charged under Welfare and Institutions 300 sections, while our Delinquency Unit involved the representation of minors charged under Welfare and Institutions Code 602 violations.  I became certified to practice dependency law during this timeframe, and personally handled numerous parent representations, including Detentions, Jurisdictional and Dispositional Hearings, six months/twelve months/eighteen-month reviews, and .26 Termination Hearings.  As a supervisor, I was entrusted with initial dependency court initiation training for new attorneys entering the Unit.  I also, having had previous rotations as a deputy public defender, oversaw training into entry-level attorneys for the Delinquency Unit.

I have had extensive jury trial and litigation experience and successes, having tried over 100 misdemeanor and felony jury trials as a defense attorney and as a prosecuting attorney combined.  These cases involved multiple homicides and attempt homicide trials involving forensic expert analysis testimonies, gang expert testimonies, psychiatric and/or psychologist evaluations and presentations, and pathologist and/or medical scientific direct and/or cross-examinations.  I have presented, tried, and argued to a jury both as a prosecuting attorney and as a defense attorney in Hawaii and California, attempt and homicide cases, along with a multitude of additional complex felony cases in my career.