Special Skills Are Needed to Be an Effective Los Angeles Juvenile Defense Attorney
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
Over the years, I’ve represented many children accused of serious crimes. Crimes so serious that the District Attorney filed a motion to transfer the case to adult court. Recently, I had a 16-year-old kid accused of attempted murder. The DA…
read moreShould My Child Talk to the Police?
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
The bottom line is this: If your child is being questioned about being involved in a crime, he or she should not talk to the police without first consulting a qualified juvenile defense attorney.
read moreSchool Officials Believe Rosary Beads Are Gang Symbol
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
A guest blogger, criminal defense attorney Andrew Bouvier-Brown, comes to us this week with his take on a bizarre incident in which a Colorado high school student had his rosary beads confiscated by school authorities. Why? They believed that the rosary,…
read moreBrain Scan Evidence Impacts Sentences Received by Juveniles
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
A groundbreaking study published by the journal Science shows that judges are likely to be influenced by the results of brain scans that are introduced into evidence. The brain scan evidence was introduced as part of a hypothetical case that…
read moreMinor Charged With Committing Lewd Acts At Day Care Center
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
A 14-year-old was arrested on August 7 near Sacramento for suspicion of committing lewd acts at a day care center owned by his mother. As a juvenile criminal defense lawyer in Los Angeles, I know that lewd acts sounds like…
read moreOne 20-Minute Hearing, Two Consecutive 30 Year Prison Sentences
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
If a child is accused of murdering two adults, what is a reasonable amount of time to determine whether they should be treated as an adult? I am a criminal defense lawyer representing juveniles in Los Angeles, so you may…
read moreHate Crimes Confusion in Los Angeles
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
Los Angeles, if you believe the statistics, has very few hate crimes. In a city with a population of almost 4 million, the FBI reported that in 2010 fewer than 200 crimes constituted hate crimes. This figure is almost certainly…
read moreU.S. Supreme Court: Life Without Parole For Juveniles
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
Tomorrow morning the United States Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case that will determine whether it is unconstitutional for a state to sentence juveniles who commit murder to life in prison without parole. As reported in the…
read moreShould LA Juvenile Proceedings Be Open To The Public?
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
Shedding more light on the juvenile criminal justice system will make it easier for lawyers to represent our clients effectively. There will be cases where it will be in our clients’ interests to protect their privacy from the media. We can handle such cases individually. But overall the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles could benefit from more public exposure. As the old saying goes, light can act as a powerful disinfectant.
read moreCriminalizing Cheating on the SATs
Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer
Prosecutors across the country are beginning to bring criminal charges in cases where students have been accused of cheating on standardized tests. The most publicized comes out of New York State. In November 2011, two students turned themselves in after…
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