FEDERAL CRIMES

Federal offenses cross state lines, involving a federal agency, or involving the Internet.

VIOLENT CRIMES

An offense is considered “violent” when it involves physical harm to another person, or even the threat or attempt to harm

SEXUAL OFFENSES

Trials for sex offenses are usually cases of “he said, she said”

DRUG OFFENSES

Our defense strategies and our cadre of state and federal drug court trial lawyers have saved our clients from years of imprisonment

FRAUD CRIMES

Pre-trial preparation by the best lawyers is the key to a successful fraud defense

Criminal Defense Attorney

Gina Tennen

Founding partner and criminal defense attorney, Gina Tennen, is a leading advocate of personal freedom and individual rights. Her meticulous trial preparation and her exceptional ability to integrate an aggressive, thorough defense, has earned her the admiration of clients and the respect of prosecutors, judges and other criminal lawyers across the country.

She is an astute strategist and powerful advocate who works tirelessly to protect the rights of her clients. She has earned a long-standing reputation as a relentless fighter who never surrenders in any case and has represented many high-profile criminal cases.

criminal defense attorney in California

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Gina Tennen is a Nationally Recognized Criminal Law Attorney Advocate

Defending sex crime cases can be very different from other types of criminal cases and requires a specific skill-set and approach to be effective. A talented team of criminal defense attorneys in California often employ an entire unit of psychologists, forensic computer experts, and private investigators to implement the consummate defense.

Early intervention is the key to our mutual success. Call a criminal defense attorney in California at (855) 529-7761 for a free consultation.

Criminal Lawyer Near Me

Finding the best defense attorney in Los Angeles is more challenging than most assume. Thousands of lawyers handle criminal cases. The freedom to choose any lawyer you want might feel liberating, but combing through the sheer number of options can also be overwhelming.

If you’re facing charges in Los Angeles, our criminal defense attorney can help steer your case in a favorable direction. We have the best criminal defense attorneys in California. Although there are many other Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers, no one holds a candle to the decades’ worth of combined industry experience our firm boasts.

  • Child Harassment or Sexual Abuse

    Lawyers know that a child molestation charge is emotionally devastating against a person. The mere accusation of this crime can seriously damage your reputation, career and relationships.

    Child Molestation, also known as Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault on Child and Indecent Liberties, generally involves any type of sexual contact with a child under the age of 14 (this age varies from state to state). Los Angeles criminal lawyers know that an adult can also be accused of sexual assault on minor in all states, which is usually defined as sex with a person under the age of 18. Both child molestation and sexual assault on a child or minor is a crime that can also be synonymous to statutory rape, which is generally defined as sexual intercourse with minors or children.

    Apart from the lengthy jail sentences, society ostracizes accused individuals as felons and labels them as sexual predators — regardless of the court’s findings. These repercussions extend to their personal, professional, and social lives.

    If convicted of this crime, you can face a lifetime sex offender registration and severe fines and penalties. A child molestation, sexual abuse, indecent liberties, sexual assault, or statutory rape conviction can plague you for the rest of your life, and you can be found guilty even when the only evidence is the victim’s word.

  • Marital Rape

    Marital Rape is a nonconsensual sexual act alleged to have occurred within the context of a marital relationship. The accuser only has to claim a single sexual act was evoked with the use of intimidation, threat, or coercion during the marriage in order to claim rape occurred. An accusation of marital rape is sometimes made or threatened during contentious divorces. Because of the complexity and nature of this type of sex accusation you need a criminal defense attorney experienced in rape and investigations to find weaknesses and holes in the opposing side’s arguments and statements.

    Many people mistakenly believe the police will not investigate an allegation of rape made by one spouse against the other. However, these allegations often arise in the context of a fight between a married couple, and they often involve equally serious allegations of kidnapping, false imprisonment or domestic violence. If you are being investigated for marital rape to your spouse, it is imperative you call our criminal defense attorneys immediately. The sooner a criminal attorney starts working, the better. In some cases, effective intervention early on by an attorney may clear you and halt the indictment.

    If you are being investigated for marital rape against your spouse, it is imperative you call our criminal defense attorneys in Southern California immediately. The sooner a criminal attorney starts working, the better. In some cases, effective intervention early on by an attorney may clear you and halt the indictment.

    Otherwise, you might have a hard time clearing your record. Accused individuals convicted of marital rape can get up to two decades of jail time.

  • Statutory Rape

    Statutory Rape, sometimes called Sexual Assault on a Child or Minor, is a sexual act in which the victim is not of legal age to manifest consent to a sexual act. A conviction on statutory rape or sexual assault on a child/minor is a crime that can haunt you for a lifetime and has severe consequences. Statutory rape charges typically lead to 5 to 10 years of jail time, plus a maximum of $100,000 in fines. As such, these cases should be defended vigorously by top criminal lawyers in Los Angeles.

    What is important to note is even if a child or minor consents to sex or sex acts, it is nevertheless illegal to have sex with a person under the “age of consent”, the law regards the child or minor as not old enough to give consent to sex.

  • Sexual Assault

    Depending on the severity of the victim’s allegations, sexual assault can be classified as a felony. The risk exposure and severity of the penalties are largely dependent on the victim’s claims, and pre-trial preparation is vital.

    There are rarely eyewitnesses, and these are typically “he said, she said” criminal cases, so thorough investigation is a must. Credibility can be a key point, and expert witnesses are often a useful tool that can tip the scales toward the defense.

    The mere accusation of sexual assault can have a devastating effect on your life, including serious harm to your reputation, career and personal relationships. A sexual assault conviction can follow you for the rest of your life. If convicted, you can face a lifetime registration as a sex offender and severe criminal penalties. Most accused individuals don’t get the chance to defend themselves from hearsay. Upon receiving charges, the accused could already end up losing their job, business, and even friends.

    Regardless of the severity or circumstances of your offense or crime, your sex offender registration becomes public record, and your neighbors and employers will be able to see this identification for the rest of your life.

  • Child Pornography

    Child pornography charges can be particularly devastating because of the serious social stigma of child sex offenders. Los Angeles Criminal lawyers know that with computers and spammy websites, it is easy to unknowingly commit this crime. For example, if you view an image on a web site of someone you thought was an adult but was under 18, you can be charged with this crime. Even if another person used your computer to view such images or if an unsolicited email was sent to you containing such images, copies of these images may unknowingly be on your hard drive.

    While possession of pornographic images may seem like a minor offense, this crime must be taken seriously and defended aggressively. If convicted, you could end up facing 10 to 20 years of jail time—especially if the content involves children under 12.

    There is currently a nationwide witch hunt for sexual predators led by sting operations, overzealous prosecutors, politicians and the media. Employers, other employees, and even computer repair shops often have the ability and right to view files on your computer, and the feds are eager to aggressively prosecute these offenses.

  • Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

    Failing to register as a sex offender can have serious consequences, including imprisonment in some states. Many sexual related crimes require a convicted person to register as a sex offender. Whenever the registered sex offender moves, he or she typically must re-register in the most current jurisdiction.

    Failure to comply with sex offender registration rules prescribed in a particular jurisdiction will lead to additional criminal charges and, if convicted, further penalties. In the worst case, you could end up with an extra 10 years of jail time.

    Fortunately, an experienced criminal attorney in Los Angeles can help you clear up any misunderstandings on why you were unable to register as a sex offender. Do not explain your alibi yourself. Law enforcement officials will use any error or inconsistency in your statement against you.

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Criminal Law Attorney

The Los Angeles criminal lawyers at LibertyBell Law Group know the damaging effects that a criminal record might have on their clients’ lives and future employment. The consequences go beyond the years you spend in retribution.

Convicted felons often face stereotyping even after they serve their time. Many have trouble qualifying for leases, getting a job, and applying for loans, among other tasks that require background investigations.

As a criminal defense law firm, we strive to help accused individuals share their side of the story. Innocent people are convicted of crimes every day which could result in spending the rest of their lives in prison. Sadly, clearing your name after doing jail time is no simple feat.

Preventing, reducing, or eliminating charges is the main objective of our criminal lawyers in Los Angeles and most importantly — keeping you out of jail.

Why Choose Our Criminal Law Lawyer?

Regardless of whether you’re guilty of your charges or not, the system will extensively scrutinize anything they can use against you. You might even end up fighting falsified evidence.

For these reasons, you need to work with a reputable criminal defense attorney. California police officers and investigators will use aggressive investigation tactics to harass and coerce you into pleading guilty. Accused individuals undergoing investigation for the first time often break in a matter of minutes.

Fortunately, a skilled, knowledgeable California criminal defense attorney can help you answer all probing questions safely and prudently. Do not give in to your investigators’ mind games. Any criminal history can affect your life, so our defense lawyers work hard for you in each case.

At LibertyBell Law Group, you are not just a case number as our lawyers take great care to achieve open and direct communication with you. Our criminal defense lawyers in Los Angeles, California provide you services based on your individual and specific needs.

Immediate Response from Our Criminal Defense Lawyer

Our Los Angeles criminal lawyer begins working on your criminal case immediately, the same day that you retain us.

Our Criminal Defense Group Will:

    • Immediately request that your case be turned over to our Los Angeles criminal lawyer.
    • Carry out extensive research for your benefit to obtain an advantageous result.
    • Interview witnesses, victims and police officers.

WINNING CASES

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY:

Gina was like a lioness protecting her cub.

    

I hired Gina and her team for my son who was facing 10 years for something they said he did when he was 17 years old. Gina was like a lioness protecting her cub. She did not stop. She fought hard and was able to defend the charges. We are so grateful to her and her team. They gave us our son. He recovered his life!

– L. W.
Best defense lawyers in the country.

    

I hired this law firm in 2014 for my son who was facing 16 years in prison for a felony robbery. Lina Helou answered all our questions. I was extremely distraught regarding what my son was facing but Lina comforted me and told me that it would be okay. And thank goodness LibertyBell saved my son from going to jail and they were able to obtain only 3 years of probation. I could not have hired a better law firm for my son and if you want the best defense call LibertyBell Law Group. Thank God for this great group of lawyers.

– V. J.
A great team of lawyers.

    

I do not have enough words to describe how incredible the experience with this firm was. They work very hard to make sure you have winning results. I could not have asked for better service from the moment I called, until my case was over. I was glad I made the right choice. Thank you again LibertyBell Law Group!

– S. O.
She took her time to review all of my evidence and proved my innocence.

    

My father had found this group through his company and coworkers. I was assigned Gina Tennen and I cannot explain in just a review on how gratefull I am to be working with her. My case was an accusation of unlawful sex. This had looked extremely bad on my part since I was in a fraternity and she was in a sorority. During these times with Greek life, there are too many bad stigmas surrounding these organizations. Gina had believed in me and knew that I was innocent and that these accusations just were not true. She took her time to review all of my evidence and proved my innocence. I totally recommend this law group because they are willing to put in the work to help your situation.

– C. D.
Gina always kept me fully aware of how the case was proceeding.

    

When I first heard I was under a criminal investigation, I initially thought I would try and resolve this in the best way possible, without legal representation, as we were all interested in a "just" outcome. I quickly discovered that was not the case and contacted Gina at LibertyBell. She clearly described the expectations and the choices available to me. She was always available to me, and when I called, if she couldn't talk with me at that time, she would quickly get back to me. Gina always kept me fully aware of how the case was proceeding. Her fee's were stipulated up front, as well as what those fees covered and what they did not.

– S. B.
Attorney Gina Tennen was on point from day one.

    

Attorney Gina Tennen was on point from day one putting pressure on the sherrif's office to get things handled. With Child molestation accusatinos being thrown around Gina and Attorney Castro were great at keeping the pressure on and had no charges filled. The DCFS indications were appealed and we won with flying colors. Great service, great work, and will use again for all legal matters.

– A. B.
Will Recommend, Total Experience, Awesome Team

    

Being involved in legal matters can be scary. When researching who to put my trust in, I came across Liberty and I am glad that I did. From the first time that I met with Gina and her team she made me feel comfortable and listened to all that I had to say. She assured me that her team would be on it and that they would do everything that they could! A little while in, Alan took over my case. When meeting with him you can tell that this is his passion and I immediately knew he was going to do everything in his power to make the outcome right! He was relentless and worked day and night working on the case. He kept in constant communication with me and truly cared not only about me but about my family as well. I am forever grateful for the support that this whole team has given me and would definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking for truly the best lawyers!

– L. B.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What does a criminal defense attorney do?

    A criminal defense attorney helps the defendant navigate the complex legal system and get the best possible outcome for their case. They do extensive research to ensure that they have a full understanding of their client’s case so they can come up with the best defense possible.

    Defense attorneys will also investigate the cases against their clients so they can argue against it more effectively. In some cases, they’ll even negotiate with the prosecution to try to get a deal that will benefit their clients.

    In short, a defense attorney is a professional who will provide unique legal insight, do endless legwork, and negotiate on their client’s behalf.

  • How much does a criminal lawyer cost?

    Every defense attorney is different, and there are endless payment plans and styles. Some attorneys take retainers, some charge a flat fee, and others charge by the hour. Fees may vary according to the field of law, the lawyer’s experience, the seriousness of the charge, and the complexity of the case.

    One of the best ways to figure out how much your case will cost is by consulting with a lawyer and requesting a quote to get a full picture of how much legal representation will cost.

    Those who cannot afford their own attorney will be assigned one by the court. However, these attorneys, known as public defenders, are often stretched thin across numerous cases. They may not have as much time and energy for your case as a private attorney. If possible, it’s always best to invest in your case to avoid jail time and other concerns.

  • Do defense lawyers get paid if they lose?

    It depends on the fee arrangement your lawyer uses, but generally speaking, yes. If your lawyer gets paid hourly, with a retainer, or with a flat fee, then they will get their payment regardless of the case outcome.

    However, contingency fees are different. With this type of fee, there’s no need to pay until the end of the case, and the lawyer takes a percentage of the money you receive in court or from an out-of-court settlement.

    Even with contingency fees, you may be responsible for court fees and lawyer fees that fall outside of the contingency fee agreement. Make sure to clarify all the payment details with your lawyer before you begin working with them officially.

  • When can you recover attorney fees?

    Both parties are responsible for paying their attorney fees unless there’s a relevant law or contract that states that one can recover their attorney fees. If there are no attorney’s fees provided by law or contract, then they will not be recoverable.

    However, on occasion there is a law or contract that states that the winning party gets their attorney fees reimbursed. The losing party will need to handle the opposition’s legal fees in addition to any damages they owe, as determined by the court.