Litigation Specialists

Aggressive Advocacy for a Wide Variety of Criminal Charges

After being arrested, you should not take any chances on your freedom or your rights. When it comes to hiring a Monterey County criminal defense attorney to represent you, the Biegel Law Firm is prepared to take on your charges. Regardless of the severity of the alleged offense, you can rely on us to use our experience and determination to your advantage.

Hear it From our Satisfied Clients!

5 / 5 stars
After doing extensive research to find the best lawyer in Monterey County, we decided to choose Lawrence Biegel. He was referred to us by a few other attorneys who revered him as the “best around.” Not only did I receive a much better than expected result after a lengthy trial, but Larry was extremely upfront and transparent about the costs involved which was extremely reassuring. I highly recommend Lawrence Biegel as he is an outstanding lawyer who is extremely personable and cares a lot about his clients and getting them the best result possible.
– Ryan

Criminal Charges We Defend Against

If you are searching for a skilled lawyer to protect you against state or federal charges, our firm is here to step in. We work tenaciously to protect your rights from the moment you hire us through to the completion of your case. Our goal is to provide you with aggressive legal defense as we advocate for you throughout the criminal law process. Fortunately, our legal team has represented a wide range of criminal charges and we are extremely knowledgeable about the law.

Our firm can defend you against all types of charges, such as:

• Murder
• DUI
• Sexual offenses
• Drug crimes
• Burglary
• Assault
• Domestic violence
• Juvenile crimes
• Federal charges
• Stalking
• Harassment
• Theft crimes
• Manslaughter
• Robbery
• White-collar crimes

Building Effective Defense Strategies

If you have been arrested for any type of criminal offense, retaining the service of a Monterey County criminal defense attorney should be your first step. At the Biegel Law Firm, we have what it takes to thoroughly review your case and build a strong, effective defense on your behalf. Our goal is to ensure that your rights have not been violated or if you have, to prove that the violation occurred and use it to your benefit. We strive to keep our clients out of jail and have a proven track record of success.

Case Studies

1st Degree Murder Acquittal

Our client was jailed for 15 months prior to having the matter brought to a full jury trial. The Biegel Law Firm had been brought into the case in mid-stream, to replace the Public Defender’s office. Using defense investigators and expert witnesses, including forensic technology in the courtroom, Mr. Biegel was able to obtain an acquittal of all charges. On the evening of the verdict, our client was released from the Monterey County Jail and was able to join with us and his family the next day for a luncheon in his honor.

False Allegations of Sexual Battery Dismissed by District Attorney

Our client, a prominent local business person, was accused by a client of his of attacking her in his office after the doors were shut for the day. Our client admitted a consensual relationship had occurred, but was steadfast that no force or threats were used. Using cell phone records and two really talented private investigators, including one in the San Diego area, we were able to establish that the alleged “victim” had falsified a police report of this encounter and was in the process of filing a civil suit against our client. When this information was turned over to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, a decision was made to dismiss the felony charges against our client.

False Allegation of Domestic Violence

Our client was a language professor at a local university and a conviction of a charge of battering his wife would have led to his deportation from the United States and his being deported to his former Middle Eastern country where he would have likely been jailed for the activities which prompted him to escape to the United States in the first place. Again, using investigators who took witness statements from persons who had valuable information about the case, and a careful analysis of photographic evidence of alleged injuries our client allegedly caused to his spouse, the jury brought back a “not guilty” verdict and our client remains a teacher of foreign language in our local university.

Alleged Domestic Violence Against an Estranged Spouse

Our client, a local businessman, was charged with battery involving his spouse with whom he was separated. At the end of an overnight “sleepover” with his three children, his wife came to the door to pick them up. She claimed, falsely, that he pushed her out of the front door and that she fell on the steps badly hurting herself. Being very careful not to involve testimony of the children, Mr. Biegel was able to convince a jury that there was substantial reasonable doubt about his client’s guilt and a verdict of “not guilty” was returned after four hours of jury deliberation.

DUI Defense

In May 2016, our client attended an evening business meeting at a restaurant in Monterey. At the time, he was a local resident with no criminal record, and took great care to monitor his alcohol intake that night such that he would not be inebriated when driving home. At approximately 9 p.m., he left the meeting and began driving home. As he entered the highway, he went to press the Bluetooth button on his cell phone. This momentary distraction caused his car to drift a foot to the right over the lane divider. Having seen this, a California Highway Patrol vehicle quickly came up behind him and initiated a traffic stop. The CHP officers conducted several standard field sobriety tests. Our client generally did very well on his field sobriety tests. For example, on the Romberg balance test, he estimated 30 seconds, while 31 seconds had elapsed. He successfully completed the finger count test. The CHP also gave our client two blood alcohol tests at the scene. Both tests results showed that our client’s blood alcohol content was under the legal limit with a 0.07% blood alcohol content. Despite these tests results and our client’s clear alertness, the CHP officers still decided to arrest him for driving under the influence. He was taken to the local police department, and later charged with charged in a criminal complaint by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office with driving under the influence. From the offset, our attorneys felt law enforcement had improperly arrested our client and that the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office was wrong in filing the criminal complaint against him. We urged to the District Attorney to dismiss the case because our client: • Had a blood alcohol level that was under .08% • Was driving safely with only one minor, explainable exception • Performed well on the field sobriety tests • Had no criminal history and a clean driving record The District Attorney made several offers which we considered unreasonable and not compatible with the facts of the case. Our efforts ultimately paid off, as the District Attorney’s Office agreed to offer our client an infraction (basically a traffic ticket) for his momentary, unlawful swerve.