Biography

I am admitted to practice before all Courts of the State of California (admitted January 15, 1970), the United States Supreme Court (admitted March 19, 1973), the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, United States District Court for the Eastern District of California and other Courts.

I have been a member of the faculty of the following programs: Santa Clara County Bar Association Trial Advocacy College, 1977-1978; California Public Defenders Association Summer Skills Institute, 1979-1981; Criminal Justice College of Advocacy, Hastings College of the Law, 1983-1999; Civil Litigation Advocacy Program, Hastings College of the Law, 1984-1992; California Trial Lawyers Association, Annual Seminar, 1987; U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Federal Practice Program, 1987-1992; Intensive Advocacy Program, University of San Francisco School of Law, 1992-1993; Santa Clara University School of Law Civil Trial Skills Program, 1993-1994; and Advocacy Skills Workshop, Stanford Law School, 1998-2022.

I belong to numerous legal associations, including the following: Bar Association of San Francisco; Santa Clara County Bar Association, San Mateo County Bar Association; American Bar Association (Member, White Collar Crime Committee, Criminal Justice Section, 1987 to present; Complex Crimes Committee, Litigation Section, 1991 to present); The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; California Trial Lawyers Association; California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (Member, Board of Governors, 1980-1983; Vice President, 1983-1984); Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association; National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Life Member); and Fellow, American Board of Criminal Lawyers (Member, Board of Governors, 1985; Secretary, 1986; Vice President, 1987-1988).

I have been rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell for more than thirty years. I have been listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the category of Criminal Law since 1987 and in the category of White Color Crimes since the category was created. I have been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers Association as one of the Top Trial 100 trial lawyers in California. I have been recognized in Super Lawyers as a leading White Collar Criminal lawyer between 2005 and 2017.

My practice includes the defense of criminal cases. From 1970 to 1974, I was a Deputy Public Defender in the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office. In 1974, I entered private practice. In 1976, I was certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization and I have been re-certified in 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021. My current certification expires in January 2026. I have tried many criminal cases and represented numerous defendants, in both felony and misdemeanor matters, at trial and on appeal, in both state and federal courts. I have successfully tried an number of homicide cases, the most notable was an alleged organized crime murder and attempted murder at the California Cheese Company in San Jose in 1977. Currently my primary focus is on broad spectrum of white collar criminal cases, including antitrust, tax, securities fraud, insider trading and embezzlement.

I have been found to be qualified as an expert witness in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County on the obligations of defense counsel in criminal cases. I have also qualified as an expert witness on the obligations of defense counsel in a capital case before a Special Master appointed by the California Supreme Court. See People v. Ledesma (1987) 43 Cal. 3d 177. In that case I was recognized in the majority opinion of the California Supreme Court as having: “ . . . extensive experience in homicide trials . . . ” People v. Ledesma, supra, at page 203.