Be heard, not stereotyped.
In California, there are stiff penalties for defendants sentenced in cases that involve the assault and battery of a spouse, girlfriend or other cohabitant. Under California law, there are several penal codes that can be implicated in any given domestic violence case, and these usually relate to the type of injury and the type of relationship the parties have. Whenever relationships are intimate in nature – family, loved ones, close friendships – the dynamics of those relationships create legal cases that often turn on who a prosecutor, judge or jury chooses to believe.
With the right attorney, your rights as a defendants matter. Your story, the dynamics and circumstances surrounding the incidents that led to your arrest, matter as well. Stephen R. Kahn has spent over 40 years representing defendants in domestic violence cases and he knows that the most effective defense comes from forcing the decision-makers to see a defendant as a whole person – not just as the accused – but as a father, husband, wife, mother. In these cases – a number of factors impact the outcome: past history, lack of prior convictions and the behavior by all the parties before and after the incident in question. These factors need to be introduced in the best possible light for the defendant in order to combat the bias the system has in favor of the alleged victims. Stephen Kahn does this extremely strategically because he has tested approaches for decades and knows first hand what does, and does not, work.
In the course of his career, Stephen Kahn has routinely defended clients accused of one, or a combination of, the following related offenses:
- Corporal Injury to Spouse or Cohabitant (PC 273.5)
- Domestic Battery (PC 243 (e) (1))
- Stalking (PC 646.9)
- Child Endangerment (PC 273 (a))
- Child Abuse (PC 273 (d))
- Criminal Threats (PC 422)
- Elder Abuse (PC 368)
The toll a domestic violence claim or claims can take on a life is huge. Not only do defendants face the potential of incarceration, but they often experience the decimation of their privacy, family lives and even professional fallout. These incidents have to be handled sensitively, strategically and as quickly as possible to limit the ripple effect. An attorney who knows these types of cases inside and out and understands the stakes involved is crucial. Stephen Kahn is that attorney.
If you have been accused of domestic violence, contact us for a consultation.