Van Nuys Criminal Defense Lawyer

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Charged with a Crime in Van Nuys? Contact Our Firm Today

If you or someone you love has been arrested in Van Nuys, do not wait and do not speak to law enforcement without an attorney present. Van Nuys is home to one of the busiest criminal courthouses in Los Angeles County, and the prosecutors who handle cases there are experienced, well-resourced, and aggressive. The attorney you choose will determine the outcome of your case. Attorney Arash Hashemi has spent over 20 years defending clients facing felony and misdemeanor charges throughout the San Fernando Valley and every community served by the Van Nuys Courthouse. Criminal defense is the sole focus of our practice. Contact our office today for a free, confidential consultation. Attorney Hashemi will sit down with you, listen to your side of the story, review the facts of your case, and begin building your defense from day one.

Where Van Nuys Criminal Cases Are Heard

 Criminal cases arising from arrests in Van Nuys are handled at the Van Nuys Courthouse, located at 14400 Erwin Street Mall, Van Nuys, CA 91401. The Van Nuys Courthouse is one of the largest and most active criminal courts in Los Angeles County, handling felony and misdemeanor cases from Van Nuys and the surrounding communities including Sherman Oaks, North Hills, Panorama City, Valley Glen, Lake Balboa, Northridge, and Reseda. Attorney Hashemi has represented clients at the Van Nuys Courthouse for over 20 years and knows the prosecutors, the judges, and the procedures that determine how cases move through this court

Criminal Cases We Handle in Van Nuys

Attorney Hashemi defends clients against the full range of criminal charges filed at the Van Nuys Courthouse. If you have been arrested in Van Nuys, we handle it.

  • DUI and drug DUI
  • Drug possession, sales, and trafficking
  • Domestic violence and criminal threats
  • Assault, battery, and weapons charges
  • Theft crimes including robbery, burglary, and grand theft
  • Gang-related offenses and gang enhancements
  • Sex crimes and registration offenses
  • Violent crimes including attempted murder and murder
  • Juvenile offenses
  • Probation violations and bench warrants
  • Expungement and record clearing

Felony Charges in Van Nuys

A felony conviction is one of the most serious consequences the California criminal justice system can impose. It carries more than one year in state prison, substantial fines, and a permanent record that affects employment, housing, professional licensing, firearm rights, and immigration status for the rest of your life. Felony charges in Van Nuys fall into two categories.

Straight felonies are offenses that can only be charged as felonies, including murder, rape, kidnapping, and sale of a controlled substance. These charges require the most aggressive defense possible from the very first appearance.

Wobbler offenses can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the specific circumstances and the defendant’s prior record. Common wobblers include assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence causing injury, burglary, grand theft, and possession of a controlled substance for sale. For wobbler charges, how the case is filed is not set in stone at the time of arrest. Attorney Hashemi contacts prosecutors before charges are formally filed in appropriate cases, presents the facts that support misdemeanor rather than felony treatment, and works to prevent felony charges from being filed wherever the law and the evidence allow it.

Many felony offenses are also divided into degrees. First-degree robbery carries three, six, or nine years in state prison. Second-degree robbery carries two, three, or five years. Attorney Hashemi challenges the degree of every charge and pursues every reduction in exposure the specific facts of the case support.

Misdemeanor Charges in Van Nuys

A misdemeanor carries up to one year in Los Angeles County Jail. It also creates a permanent criminal record that shows up on background checks and can cost you job opportunities, professional licenses, and housing applications long after the case is closed. Common misdemeanor charges in Van Nuys include DUI, domestic battery, petty theft, drug possession, simple assault, reckless driving, and public intoxication.

Many of the clients who come to us facing misdemeanor charges are first-time offenders who have never dealt with the criminal justice system before. For these clients keeping a conviction off their record is the most important outcome we can achieve. Attorney Hashemi pursues every available avenue including dismissal, charge reduction, and diversion programs that result in the charges being dismissed entirely upon successful completion.

California Three Strikes Law

If you have prior felony convictions on your record, the charge you are currently facing takes on an entirely different level of exposure. Under California’s Three Strikes law, a second serious or violent felony conviction doubles your sentence. A third conviction triggers a mandatory minimum of 25 years to life in state prison regardless of the specific nature of the third offense. Strike offenses include murder, attempted murder, rape, robbery, residential burglary, kidnapping, and assault with a deadly weapon among others.

Attorney Hashemi analyzes the Three Strikes implications of every felony case from the very first consultation. He pursues every available avenue to minimize exposure, including Romero motions asking the court to dismiss a prior strike allegation in the interest of justice. A successful Romero motion can mean the difference between a manageable sentence and a mandatory life term.

Why Van Nuys Clients Choose Attorney Arash Hashemi

Van Nuys clients choose Attorney Hashemi because criminal defense is all he does and has done for over 20 years. He handles every case personally from the first call through the final resolution. You will never be passed to a junior associate or left wondering what is happening with your case. When you call, he answers. When you walk into the Van Nuys Courthouse, he is standing beside you. If you are in custody, he will come to you because an arrest does not happen on a schedule and neither does the legal help you need.

Attorney Hashemi is admitted to practice before all California State Courts and the United States District Court for the Central District of California, giving Van Nuys clients complete coverage whether their case is prosecuted at the state or federal level.

Contact a Van Nuys Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

 If you have been arrested or charged with a crime in Van Nuys, contact our office immediately for a free, confidential consultation. Every hour matters after an arrest and the sooner Attorney Hashemi is working on your case, the more options you have.

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We serve clients in Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, North Hills, Panorama City, Valley Glen, Lake Balboa, Northridge, Reseda, and all surrounding San Fernando Valley communities.