444 W. 10th Street Suite #105, Santa Ana, CA 92701

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Sabrina Darwish - Lead Attorney

RELIABLE REPRESENTATION
AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE.

Why Hire Us?

Caring and compassionate defense
Strong advocate for your rights
Years of criminal defense experience
Well respected by judges and prosecutors
Consistent communication with clients

Representation Focused in Orange County and Southern California.
Your Consultation is Always Free and Our Conversations are Always Private.

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Orange County Criminal Lawyer

When your freedom is on the line and you’refacing potentially life-changing consequences as a result of a criminal arrest, investigation, or charge, you need to be extremely cautious and take whatever measures are necessary to protect your rights, freedom, and future. A criminal conviction risks jail time, expensive fees and fines, loss of your job, loss of child custody and visitation rights, and other detrimental consequences on your future. In this case, your number one priority should be putting proven Orange County criminal defense attorneys on your side as soon as possible.

Orange County Criminal Lawyer law firm provides top-notch legal representation in Orange County and throughout Southern California in the area of criminal defense. We are committed to pursuing justice and providing tough legal representation to each of our clients. Our attorneys will do whatever it takes to protect your rights and future.

At Orange County Criminal Lawyer, we believe that all cases have the potential to be won regardless of how hopeless they appear initially. If this is unrealistic, we’ll fight to reduce charges, keep you out of jail, and get the best possible outcome for your case. We have a longstanding reputation in Orange County for providing aggressive and effective criminal defense and winning where so many law firms refuse to even take on the case. We handle even the most complex of criminal cases. We have the knowledge, experience, and determination it takes to win for you.

Call us anytime 24/7 at 714-262-4833 for a free consultation and case review. From the moment you get in touch with us, we’ll do everything we can to help you obtain the peace of mind you deserve and need at such a difficult time. We’ll inform you of your rights, address each of your concerns, and get started on building you a solid defense.

Sabrina Darwish

Sabrina Darwish was born and raised in Orange County. She then attended UCLA and Loyola Law school in Los Angeles. Sabrina’s passion has always been in criminal defense. She believes every individual should have a competent and zealous attorney with them on their side.

Sabrina began her legal career as a deputy public defender in Riverside County. She later moved onto private practice in Orange County after gaining knowledge and experience at the Public Defender’s Office. With a central office in Santa Ana, she is conveniently located to all the Orange County courts.

For over 10 years, Attorney Sabrina Darwish has been representing Orange County residents in their criminal matters. She has defended thousands of clients with countless wins along the way— from dismissals during negotiations to acquittals at trial.

Sabrina is a fantastic story-teller and utilizes all her skills to highlight your best qualities to the prosecution so they may see you as more than a case file. Sabrina is not only passionate and caring but extremely knowledgeable. She understands all the inner workings of the Orange County criminal justice system and has the expertise to navigate all the complex statutes and case law. Her familiarity with the court system and her personal relationships with prosecutors and judges have earned her a well-respected reputation in Orange County.

Not Just Winning Cases… Changing Lives!

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What sets us apart

The Orange County Criminal Lawyer law firm is here to serve our clients and the community at large by proving affordable, accessible, top-tier criminal defense services. Reasons to hire us:

Exceptional Track Record of Success

At Orange County Criminal Lawyer, we consistently win cases. Our attorneys have managed to focus our attention on the needs of clients. Through experience, we’ve learned that every bit of pre-trial work and service is significant. This is why we take meaningful and effective actions. We are open to working together with other experts so as to ensure that we apply the best possible legal skills for your case.

We are not scared of taking on tough cases. In addition to winning dozens of pre-trial dismissals and acquittals, we also know how to effectively negotiate and win favorable plea deals that will have your charge and/or sentence reduced. We’ll go the extra mile to meet and exceed your expectations.

Experience and Legal Versatility

When you choose a criminal defense lawyer, your decision should be based on facts. At the Orange County Criminal Lawyer, our attorneys have decades of focused criminal law experience that they employ when handling each case. As such, we can handle a wide range of felony, misdemeanor, and federal cases in courts throughout Orange County and California. We have litigated hundreds of criminal cases and use our negotiations skills to obtain the best results possible in favorable compromises. We’re committed to assisting you irrespective of the complexities involved in your case.

Full Familiarity with Local Courts

Even when dealing with state or federal law, the municipality, county, or court handling your case may bring a different way of doing things. We’re familiar with the court process as well as local ways of doing things in Orange County because of our far-reaching experience in criminal defense. Additionally, we have created longstanding relationships with prosecutors, judges, police and courthouse personnel. We understand how the opposition thinks, what to expect and how to negate tactics used by the prosecution when construction your defense. And because we’ve successfully done it all before, none of these types of details will be a surprise to us.

Honest and Genuine Professionals

There are many laws firms with lawyers who have little real-world experience and inadequate educational background. They take up huge amounts of cases they are not qualified to proficiently handle. We are different. Our law firm is comprised of true criminal defense experts who are highly experienced and won’t be intimidated by the experience or knowledge level of the prosecution. Our deep understanding of California and federal law, as well as our years of combined experience, make us stand out in the field of criminal defense. With honest representation and a strong work ethic, you can rest assured that your case is handled with the utmost client care and dedication.

Prompt Attention to Your Case

Legal battles are highly time sensitive. And to ensure that you’ll always have an attorney to talk to in your time of need, all our phones are open 24/7/365. From the day that you hire us for legal counsel and advocacy, our experienced attorneys will get to work by investigating, examining, and developing a solid defense. Unlike other law firms that do extremely little to nothing until you’re arraigned in the court, we don’t employ the wait and see approach.

Without wasting time, we begin our search for potential witness and evidence in your favor, look for possible ways to challenge the evidence and facts relied upon by the prosecution, and request access to the arresting officer’s report. When we’re working for you, you don’t really have to wait until the prosecutor files a formal charge against you. Just suspecting they will be charging you is enough for us to start working on your case.

Unmatched Personal Attention from Your Attorney

When you retain our legal services, you will never be just another case. So, instead of shuffling you through the system with little client-lawyer contact, we provide our clients with personal and tenacious representation. We’ll listen to your side of the story and concerns and work with you toward the best solution possible for your unique legal needs. Moreover, we make ourselves available to answer calls 24/7 so you can in touch with us if any issues arise outside of the regular business hours. You’ll have your attorney’s office and direct cell phone number and not the paralegals’ or secretaries’. We’ll guide you through the tough times and treat you with the compassion and respect you deserve. You’ll be informed about the status of your case and what to expect next. Because our clients are our top priority, we put communication at the center of our services.

We Work with Licensed Private Investigators

A solid defense starts with the facts. We work together with a premier licensed private investigator to obtain the details of your case. Unlike other law firms, we get details ourselves and don’t solely rely on police reports. It’s common to have witnesses persuaded or intimidated by police but we can prevent this from happening by getting physical evidence or recorded statements early in the investigation.

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Testimonials

I hired Sabrina to defend me against false charges of domestic abuse, she not only believed me, she kept me well informed on the pending trial and was able to get the DA to look at the actual evidence and successfully got all charges dismissed.

Ms Darwish is a professional and Knowledgeable attorney. She is very detailed oriented and will walk you through every step of the entire process, due to her experience as a former public defender, she is highly recommended as a Criminal Defense Attorney.

Mrs. Darwish made navigating the judicial system a very simple process. I had to transfer my case from Californian to Utah which can be very complicated and frustrating, especially when you're dealing with the courts and the DMV. She handled my case fast and efficiently with the utmost professionalism. The only regret I have is not contacting her sooner. Many thanks to you Mrs. Darwish.

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The criminal defense process

Facing criminal charges can be daunting, frightening, and can create a feeling of hopelessness. The criminal process can be intricate and challenging to navigate on your own if you don’t have sufficient legal knowledge and don’t know what to expect. However, you can improve your chances of achieving a positive outcome for your criminal case by hiring an experienced Orange County Criminal Lawyer. Here’s an overview of the process through which criminal cases pass in California.

The arrest

No one plans on getting arrested. Law enforcement officers arrest an individual based on probable cause that they have engaged in an illegal act. After an arrest, the police do not file the charges. They only provide necessary reports and evidence to the prosecution, who will then determine whether charges should be filed or not and if they should, what types of charges. After an arrest, the most important thing is to remain silent and contact a good criminal defense lawyer without delay. An attorney will advise you on your rights and what you should do to avoid incriminating yourself.

If the officer arrested you without a probable cause, failed to read you your Miranda Rights, conducted an illegal search and seizure violated your rights or state and/or federal law, or otherwise violated police protocols, this could result in a dismissal. In this case, you need an experienced criminal lawyer to file pre-trial motions and have the evidence suppressed. There may also be the need to get bailed out of jail. With an attorney, you may be able to get a 20% discount of the bail bond fee. So, if you’ve been arrested or suspect you may soon be arrested, get legal counsel and assistance as soon as possible.

Formal Charges

If the D.A. decides that there’s sufficient evidence to pursue the case and that it seems highly likely that the alleged crime occurred, they will go ahead and file a criminal complaint with the court to show that they are filing charges. This document gives a comprehensive description of the alleged criminal offense. However, even at this point, there’s still room for pre-trial negotiations or a plea bargain. Also, it’s possible that charges already filed initially will be dropped once more facts and evidence are presented by the defense.

The Arraignment

A defendant is usually arraigned within 72 hours of their arrest. It is the first court date where you will be formally read your rights and the charges against you. You’ll also be given conditions to follow as your case proceeds. It is during this stage that bail is set, depending on whether a person is a risk of flight or whether they pose a threat to the community. In some instances, bail is not allowed. Your attorney may be able to argue that you’re a flight risk and can bring a motion to reduce the bail amount.

You’re also required to enter a plea of guilt, not guilty, or no contest. The discovery process begins at the arraignment. This involves the exchange of information including, but not limited to medical reports, police reports, diagrams, photographs, audio or video, probation reports, witness statements, and viewing of physical evidence. Your defense attorney must also provide the prosecution with the evidence they’re using in the case.

At Orange County Criminal Lawyer, we know how to skillfully negotiate a plea and will never settle for a deal that’s not in your best interests.

The Preliminary Hearing

Even after a failure to come to an agreement or have the charges dropped, there’s still room for your attorney to negotiate and provide more evidence in your favor. The discovery process continues and the defense attorney will gain more evidence from the prosecution. Generally, preliminary hearings are held in all felony offenses and are meant to review probable cause. But, there’s a similar pre-trial hearing that happens with misdemeanors. The principle for these hearings is the same with the only difference being that in felony charges, things are typically done on a large scale.

This stage is essential for the judge to decide whether the evidence provided is enough to support the charges filed. If there’s probable cause, the judge refers the case to the Superior Court for trial. Additional charges or readjustments of the bail can be made at this the preliminary hearing. This stage can end with either a plea deal, dismissal, or lead to a trial.

The Jury Trial

Most criminal cases never go to trial, and this is why you need a law firm that is well-versed with pre-trial interactions and experienced negotiation skills. But if your case goes to trial, you’ll need a criminal defense law firm with past courtroom victories and who can develop a solid defense strategy to fight the charges against you. During the trial, we’ll present evidence and argument in your best interests, while working to challenge the evidence being used by the prosecution. We also bring in witnesses and experts who can testify on your behalf.

Usually, the prosecuting attorney and defense attorney will contest for the support of the jury and will as well make appeals to the judge. Our main objective is every case we handle is to win with an acquittal. If that is unrealistic, we fight for a favorable plea deal to have the charges reduced. This can result in reduced penalties and that means that you may be able to avoid actual jail time. In other cases, deferred entry of judgment and diversion program can result in the ultimate dismissal of the case following successful completion of probation.

Appeals

In the event that you’re convicted, we may file a petition to an appellate court arguing that there were legal errors made by the trial court. If we can prove that you were denied due process of law or the court made legal errors, this may lead to the reversal of your conviction.

At Orange County Criminal Lawyer, we work hard to build a foundation for achieving the best possible outcome for your case. We’ll guide you through every step of the process and make timely legal moves necessary to win the most favorable outcome.

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Our specialty

At Orange County Criminal Lawyer, we specialize in cleaning up criminal records. Our primary goal is helping individuals minimize the effect of arrests and convictions on their criminal record. We believe that simply because you were convicted of a crime doesn’t render you a criminal for the rest of your life. We have the knowledge, dedication, experience, and resources to take on any type of criminal record in Orange County.

Some of the possible consequences of a criminal conviction in Orange County include:

Jail time or imprisonment
Loss of voting privileges
Loss of driving privileges
Fines and fees
Restitution to victims
Probation (formal or summary)
Loss of rights to possess firearms
Deportation and/or loss of immigration status
Registration as a habitual traffic offender or sex offender
Loss of educational and/or occupational opportunities

This list is not exhaustive. The stakes in a criminal conviction are very high and you don’t want to take your case lightly and risk your future and freedom.

Common legal defenses

We can earn a victory by developing a strong defense strategy that ends up reducing the charges or setting our clients free. Here are some of the most common defenses that we use to fight criminal charges and convictions:

Your conduct was accidental
You were not at the scene of the crime when it was committed
Police used overbearing measures to coerce a confession
You committed the crime under duress
You were entrapped by law enforcement
You’re a victim of false accusations and wrongful arrest
Not guilty by reason of insanity
Illegal search and seizure
A victim of mistaken identity
You acted under an honest and reasonable mistake of fact
You committed the criminal conduct to avoid even greater harm
Police misconduct
Self-defense or defense of others
You were unconscious while committing the crime
You were involuntarily intoxicated

It’s worth noting that not every defense strategy will apply to every criminal offense. We can evaluate your case, walk you through various scenarios, and choose the defense strategy that will work best for your case.

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Our Criminal Defense Practice Areas

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is any crime committed against the parent of your child, current or former dating partner, domestic partner, live-in partner, cohabitant, or any other “romantic partner.” Infliction

Violent Crimes

Due to the escalation of violent crimes in California and the U.S. at large, these crimes tend to carry the most severe consequences. What’s more, individuals are being falsely accused of violent

Theft Crimes

Theft crimes in Orange County can range from misdemeanor such as petty theft cases to more complex white-collar crimes. At Orange County Criminal Lawyer, we take on all types of theft crimes,

Fraud Crimes

In California, fraud crimes are a type of theft committed with a degree of treachery or false representation. You’re considered to have committed a fraud crime if you cause if your act is meant to

Sex crimes

Being accused or charged with any type of sex crime is terrifying and stressful. Being convicted of such crimes can have serious effects on your professional and personal life. Charges of child

Drug Crimes

While the state of California has made efforts to decriminalize certain recreational marijuana and personal use possession offenses, law enforcement officers still want to appear tough on drugs. As a

DUI and DUID

In California, it’s unlawful to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, whether legal or illegal. This means that you can be arrested and charged with DUI even though you’ve

Expungements and Record Sealings

Having a criminal record can complicate legal issues and present many obstacles in your life even if the charges were withdrawn or you were acquitted. It can create adverse implications for one’s

Contact Orange County Criminal Lawyer To Get Started

At Orange County Criminal Lawyer, we understand your specific law issue, appellate issue or licensing issue is of great importance to you and can result in a stressful experience. Once you hire us, our primary goal will be to offer you top-notch legal service by evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your cases and developing a hard-hitting defense that will achieve the quickest resolution and reach the strongest possible results.

Whether you’re charged with a misdemeanor or felony, you can be confident that our experienced and supportive attorney will put their best foot forward. If you’d like to speak with an Orange County criminal lawyer, call us at 714-262-4833 to learn how we can make the difference in your case.