Santa Fe Springs, CA Domestic Violence Defense Lawyers

If you’ve been arrested and charged with any form of domestic violence, it’s completely understandable to be scared, upset, and even indignant – not all domestic violence cases are completely one-sided, but all cases do have serious consequences. Conviction carries with it numerous penalties, including jail time and fines. The good news is that in America’s legal system you are innocent until proven guilty! Having the right representation can make a major difference in how the rest of your life unfolds.

The compassionate, experienced, highly knowledgeable Santa Fe Springs domestic violence defense lawyers at Confianza Legal can explain your options and fight fiercely to defend your rights. Don’t wait to get the ball rolling, as building a defense takes time. Call today to schedule a free consultation.

What Qualifies As Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence, as opposed to general assault, is physical abuse (including threats and neglect) against an intimate partner or other related family member. This could be a current or former spouse, domestic partner, fiancé, romantic cohabitant, dating partner, or parent of your children. It could also be your child, sibling, half-sibling, step-sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, aunt/uncle, or nephew/niece. Injuries don’t always have to be visible, and placing someone in harm’s way may be enough to bring on this type of criminal charge.

Misdemeanor Versus Felony Domestic Violence

Instances of domestic violence in California are often “wobblers”, or crimes that can be charged as either misdemeanors (less serious) or felonies (extremely serious) depending on the circumstances of the offense, victim’s injuries, and prior criminal record.

Generally, however, domestic violence will be charged as a misdemeanor unless children or the elderly were involved, or if a weapon was involved, or if a restraining order was violated in the process. Our Santa Fe Springs domestic violence defense lawyers can help you understand what you may be up against and, depending on your specific situation, potentially get the charges reduced to a misdemeanor if you are facing a felony.

Penalties Of The Charges Against You

Whether or not you face a misdemeanor or a felony, being convicted of domestic violence is incredibly serious. You face mandatory minimum jail time or prison time. You may have to pay the victim restitution or contribute to a domestic violence fund. You may have to participate in treatment or rehabilitation or counseling or mandatory community service. You could lose your right to custody of your children, and your right to carry a firearm (in some cases, for the rest of your life). You may have a restraining order placed against you. If you are an immigrant, you could even be deported. The conviction will go on your permanent record, which will make it hard to get a job and find housing.

In summary – you need to avoid conviction at all costs if you want to achieve the goals you had for your life!

Potential Defenses Our Santa Fe Springs Domestic Violence Defense Lawyers Can Pursue

At Confianza Legal, we recognize that family conflict can be complicated, and sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Even if you did act abusively, a mistake shouldn’t have to define your future. Our attorneys will take the time to explore every detail of your arrest so we can present the strongest defense possible.

• We may take the position that you were acting in self-defense, or in the defense of another person, or in the defense of your or someone else’s property and that you used only as much force to defend yourself/the other person/the property because you believed you were at risk.

• We may take the position that you didn’t intend to harm the victim – that it was an accident.

• Sometimes, especially in custody cases, partners may falsely accuse others of domestic violence out of jealousy, or anger, or in order to gain the upperhand. In this case, our Santa Fe Springs domestic violence defense lawyers will work hard to prove your innocence.

• We may be able to negotiate a plea bargain to a lesser offense, such as “disturbing the peace”, or “criminal trespass”. If you are convicted of a lesser offense, the consequences wouldn’t be as serious; you may be able to avoid deportation, loss of custody rights, and the loss of your right to carry a firearm.

• We may also be able to pursue a pre-trial diversion program – if you complete counseling or a “batterers’ program”, we may be able to get the case reduced or dismissed.

• We can assert that the police made mistakes in your arrest that make the evidence against you inadmissible.

Why Choose Us To Represent You?

Our team at Confianza Legal has over 30 years of combined experience in criminal defense law. We’ve represented thousands of Southern Californians, and we are intimately familiar with criminal law and the court system, which means we can give you an advantage! Call right now to schedule a free consultation.