The Law Offices of Eric J. Messersmith represent criminal defendants. In every case our goal is to obtain a dismissal or minimize the consequences of criminal conduct.

The police are usually the key witnesses for the district attorney or federal prosecutor. The D.A. and the federal prosecutor's job is to put you in jail for as long as possible and if they can, seize your assets. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that you DO NOT MAKE ANY STATEMENTS TO THE POLICE. Further, do not make any statements to the D.A. Additionally, do not discuss your case with anyone in jail (you probably are taking to a snitch). Keep it Simple.

A public defender is a free lawyer that the government will provide to you if you have no money. The average public defender has approximately 50-60 active cases going at all times. This office keeps a maximum of 12-15 active cases. When you get a free lawyer you have an individual who as a matter of necessity has a limited amount of time for you. As a factual matter there are over 160,000 inmates in the California Department of Corrections (State Prison). The vast majority of those inmates are poor. They were represented by public defenders.

The facts of your case are only one component of your defense. What actually decides your case is not whether your conduct was unlawful but whether under the circumstances of the arrest, statements of witnesses and evidence submitted, you can be held accountable for your conduct.

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Whether or not your case results in imprisonment will assuredly depend upon the quality of representation which you obtain. The prison and jail sentences which the vast majority of defendants receive are a direct result of their failure to hire a qualified criminal law attorney.

As a professional courtesy, we will provide to you a free consultation on your matter. At that time we will usually be able to quote you a flat fee rate.