Criminal Defense

At the Law Offices of Hart J. Levin, we believe that when your livelihood is on the line, you deserve only the very best Los Angeles criminal defense attorney. As highly-experienced former prosecutors, we have the expertise, talent and experience to consistently deliver outstanding results for each of our clients.

To implement a top-level defense, we use every tool at our disposal to establish your innocence and protect your welfare from over-zealous prosecutors. We have investigators on call 24 hours a day, ready to gather evidence and begin building your defense.

Being arrested or charged with a crime can be an extremely stressful and frightening experience. If you are arrested for a misdemeanor such as a DUI, hit and run, or petty theft, you face a potentially lengthy county jail sentence. You also face having your record permanently tarnished with a crime which can have lasting effects on your ability to find gainful employment.

Being charged with a felony is significantly more serious and carries a prison sentence which can be as little as 16 months on up to life. Prosecutors often over-file, meaning they file a charge as a felony when it could have been filed as a misdemeanor. That is why it is critical to contact a skilled defense attorney immediately – it will likely make the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor, or a lengthy prison sentence and your freedom.

Having a prior conviction often leads to much more severe punishment. The difference between a 3rd time DUI and a 4th time, for example, is often probation vs. state prison. Having priors on more serious felonies such as robbery or burglary will cause future prison sentences to automatically double in length. At the Law Offices of Hart J. Levin, we take a dual approach by attacking prior convictions and attempting to get them stricken, while simultaneously defending the current case you are facing.

Due to our extensive experience, we are fully equipped to handle your criminal case from beginning to end. It is best to contact a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer immediately upon being arrested or investigated because often times a case can be resolved prior to being filed by the District Attorney’s Office. A pre-filing disposition is a huge win for the client because their criminal record remains clean. Once a criminal case is filed and gets to court, we utilize our long-standing relationships with local judges and prosecutors to effectively resolve the case in the best possible manner to match each client’s individual needs. But many times cases cannot be resolved pretrial and a jury trial is needed. As former prosecutors, we are uniquely qualified to combat the District Attorney’s case at trial and disarm their case.

We have achieved spectacular trial results for our clients, some of which have been seen on television. But if a client doesn’t get the desired outcome at trial, we have an expert appellate panel on standby to handle your criminal appeal in the most effective and cost-efficient manner.

Criminal laws, or “Penal Code” as it is known in California, are constantly changing. For example, DUI penalties have changed in recent years requiring ignition interlock devices on all first-time DUIs. DUI fines have increased exponentially. Medical Marijuana has undergone a dramatic legal shift in California courts and marijuana has essentially been decriminalized in most cases. Search and seizure law is constantly evolving. It is vital to know your legal rights anytime you are confronted by law enforcement, whether they pull you over in your car or come to your front door. It is strongly recommended that you contact a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney immediately who can make sure your rights have not been violated and that your conduct will not put your freedom at risk.

Being formally trained as prosecutors, we have a huge advantage in court over other defense attorneys because we know the prosecutor’s policies, their strategies, and their weaknesses. Having the best criminal defense attorney Los Angeles has to offer allows us to examine the case through the eyes of our opponent which gives us unique insight into how to quickly and effectively dismantle the prosecutor’s case.

Our courtroom success and reputation is widely-recognized. We have achieved stunning victories in court that have been featured on CBS, NBC and Fox. But more important is the personal attention given to each client. Each client receives our personal cell phone number for instant access.

Having handled over 4,200 cases, we have extensive expertise in the following areas: