Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: Penal Code 245a1

Only a lawyer who will be handling the case and will be familiar with the facts can help you. I suggest you call a couple or a few to get a feel for them, if you are looking to retain a private lawyer.

If you cannot afford a private lawyer, a public defender will be assigned to the case on the first court date.

Hope this helps,

Jacek W. Lentz, Esq.

310.273.1361

www.lentzlawfirm.com

Re: Penal Code 245a1

The facts as you have presented them suggest there are a number of serious issues involved. Assault with a deadly weapon or by force likely to produce great bodily injury is a very serious crime. The 25 yr to life sentence is suggestive of strike issues or more counts or any number of other issues including a gbi (great bodily injury) enhancement. This is not something to waste time asking a lot of people for their opinions. You need to consult with some private attorneys and determine if it is affordable to hire one. If not, then a public defender will be appointed when your boyfriend's brother goes to court. If he is currently out of custody on bail he should be interviewing attorneys and gathering information regarding prices. No attorney can really offer you any accurate information over this type of medium. There are just to many variables. If you can not get the names of attorneys to interview, call the local county bar association and ask for referrals to criminal defense attorneys. They generally have a list of attorneys for the public. Good luck.

Re: Penal Code 245a1

"Tell you what to do?" Yes, get him an attorney. If he can't afford private counsel, apply for the public defender. Telling you any 'hints' about the case is of no value to anyone, since you can't appear in court for him unless you are an attorney, and he would be quite foolish to represent himself unless he knew how to practice criminal defense law.

Re: Penal Code 245a1

There is no simple answer or solution. This is a serious charge. Your boyfriend's brother needs a lawyer. A typcial private lawyer will cost thousands of dollars at a minimum to represent him. If he cannot afford representation, then the public defender will be appointed. Some time shortly after, he will likley be advised to take some kind of plea bargain deal, which will be even worse if he is in custody at the time. For best results, and if you can afford one, I recommend you hire a private attorney.

Best of Luck!

www.NotGuiltyInCA.com