The Law Offices of Paul S. Geller Blog

A tremendous amount of investigation goes into drug cases, especially since the decriminalization of marijuana possession. Law enforcement still takes a very strong stance that any controlled substance is considered criminal, so law enforcement may try to say that the amounts of marijuana or narcotics suggested that it was possessed with the intent for sale, because it was not possible…Read More

Whether they can will depend on the circumstances; there can be circumstances in which they can enter a home or stop a vehicle and conduct a search without a warrant, irrespective of whether it was a crime or otherwise. However, such a search requires an exigent circumstance, meaning that, without their involvement, there may be destruction of evidence or the…Read More

Most drug cases that I handle are cases for possession and possession for sale, in part because of the way the system is set up. Possession means possession for personal use; larger amounts of narcotics or controlled substances can include wiretap cases, transportation cases and even cultivation when it involves marijuana. Certain cases may involve large amounts of money, firearms…Read More

Having knowledge of how the prosecution handles their cases is highly valuable because when the case is vertically prosecuted, we typically know the prosecutor who is handling it from the outset of the investigation, not just once the case has been filed. In a normal criminal charge, the accused would come to me and say they had been arrested but…Read More

Typically most sex crime cases do not end up going to trial. In general, probably about 90% of criminal cases settle or are handled without a trial. The California Penal Code is filled with many different charges and sex crimes are no exception. There are various tools and ways that a prosecutor can really stack the deck against someone, but…Read More

A lot of issues of consent can come up in regards to physical contact between people. Cases involving something like a sexual battery usually involve people who were intoxicated at a party. They become intimate and then later on there are allegations of force upon the other for various reasons, whether it is guilt, feeling ashamed if it was a…Read More

Get An Attorney Involved As Soon As Possible And Do Not Give Any Statements The most important thing to do when any type of sex crime allegation is brought forth, whether it involved using the internet, physical contact or allegations between the parties, is to get a lawyer involved immediately because of the procedures these cases take. Usually, a complaint…Read More

Most of the time sex crimes are categorized as any type of sexual contact, direct or indirect, between two parties. There is a difference between whether or not the case proceeded under juvenile law versus adult court, although the crimes themselves are the same. There are differences in the way the cases are treated as well, both pre-conviction and post-conviction…Read More

Interviewer: I see advertisements saying, “We’re aggressive.” “We’ll treat you like family.” “We fight for you.” Do you think an aggressive attorney is the best way to go? So, if you needed an attorney, you were facing criminal charge, what would you look for and why? Paul Geller: I would look for the most well rounded attorney – someone who can be…Read More

Interviewer: What do you say to people that are kind of in the middle of the process and they say, “I can’t take it anymore; I want to just give up and thrown in the towel?” Does that happen? What do you tell people who say that? Paul Geller: That does happen and I always encourage people to hang in there. During…Read More