Releases

In California's criminal justice system, there are three basic types of violations: Infractions, misdemeanors and felonies. Infractions are like speeding tickets and are not considered crimes.

White collar crime presents a problem to both prosecutors as well as criminal defense lawyers because it is complicated. Proving that someone shot another is so much less complicated than proving that someone is writing bad checks.

One of the greatest challenges that lawyers face as a criminal defense attorney is when your client is accused of being in a street gang and committing a crime in association with a gang. California law severely punishes crimes that are committed in association with an alleged criminal street gang.

According to an article in the Orange County Register on May 22, 2014, the Orange County and the Santa Clara County District Attorneys have joined forces in a lawsuit against the nation’s largest manufacturers of opium-like pain killers, accusing the firms of deceptive marketing that spawned a 10 year epidemic of addiction and overdoses. The lawsuit alleges that five pharmaceutical companies spent millions of dollars to convince the public that drugs intended for short-term use by cancer patients should be taken for other illnesses to help with chronic pain.

We make jokes about it at parties and with our friends when we are confronted with uncomfortable situations, comments or questions, but it can be a serious consideration when you find yourself on the edge of a criminal investigation. Under what circumstances should a person actually consult a lawyer regarding something we joke about despite its importance?

Adherence to The Compassionate Use Act, the Medical Marijuana Program Act, State Attorney Guidelines and local zoning laws should prevent you from being accused and convicted of a felony. Local law enforcement continue to harbor ill will towards most medical marijuana collective dispensaries.

Whether it is defending an employer in a wrongful termination suit, advising an employer on the decision as to whether terminate and existing employee, or guiding an employer through an investigation because of an accusation for sexual harassment, Charles M. Farano has one advantage over most other employment law attorneys.

You hear about medical marijuana dispensaries being "Little cash cows" making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. Don't believe everything you hear or read on the internet.

Family Law is an extremely broad category of laws that include, divorce actions, paternity actions, custody and visitation issues, child support issues, property division issues as well as conservatorship actions.

Recently, I conducted a Preliminary Hearing on a felony arrest by a local law enforcement agency (which shall go nameless). The person arrested was a member of a medical marijuana collective and was stopped for a traffic violation, after which his car was searched and the deputy found 817 grams (About 1 ½ pounds) of marijuana in the trunk.