About

An Interview with Edward M. Ramirez, Esq.

Edward M. Ramirez is a criminal defense attorney with an office in Palm Springs, California.  He serves the entire Coachella Valley and provides free consultations.  He has conducted numerous jury trials and has a B.A. from UCLA and a law degree from Loyola law School of Los Angeles.  We asked him to describe his law practice.

Does Your Office Have a Slogan?

Yes: Tenacity and Devotion.

What Made You Decide to Practice Law?

Well, as a child I saw movies and television shows about jury trials.  I was fascinated by movies such as Inherit the Wind, Twelve Angry Men, Anatomy of a Murder and the Perry Mason Show.  As a teenager I admired President John F. Kennedy and became an idealist about human rights.  Later, at UCLA, I majored in political science and history with the youthful hope of changing the world.

After College in 1971, I worked for a small loan company and was stunned by the strong hostility from supervisors, which I attributed to their bias against my Hispanic origin. 
I then worked in Sacramento for the State of California in administration and found that ethnic minorities were regarded as outcasts in state government just as they were at the small loan company.  I nevertheless worked my way up the ladder into management, and during a seven year period in the 1970’s, I served at the California State Personnel Board, the State Department of Housing and Community Development, the State Department of Justice and the State Department of Health.

As a manager for the state in Sacramento I discovered that working in a governmental bureaucracy was routine and boring, and I yearned for adventure.  So, I traveled to Western Europe and afterwards enlisted in the military.   I received training at Fort Leonard Wood as a combat engineer and earned my jump wings at the Fort Benning Jump School.  I later attended the Army’s Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve and the Army National Guard infantry.  In the National Guard I spent summers and weekends at Fort Irwin, California learning desert warfare and later training others.  In the 1980’s I served in the Army Reserve in a Civil Affairs Company.  During this time I found it reassuring that promotions in the Guard and Reserve were based on merit instead of race or national origin.  I also became devoted to the service of others.

I then enrolled at Loyola Law School of Los Angeles with the intent of addressing discrimination in the work place. Upon graduation, however, I decided that criminal law would be a more exciting arena where I could engage in jury trials.  I then worked as a Deputy City Attorney at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office where I conducted numerous trials and then trained other attorneys.

What Types of Cases Have You Handled?

The cases I tried at the City Attorney’s Office were DUI’s, domestic violence, prostitution, lewd conduct, assault with a deadly weapon, auto tampering, hit and run, evading arrest, assault on police officers, under the influence of controlled substances, illegal possession of firearms, shoplifting, elder abuse and many other violations. 

After leaving the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office I practiced law at private law firms and defended clients in all areas of criminal law, including elder abuse, murder, domestic violence, firearm violations, DUI’s, employee theft, brawls, prostitution, sexual battery and others. 

How Do You Practice Law?

I enjoy helping clients solve problems in their lives.  I treat each client as if he or she were a nephew or niece, regardless of race or national origin.  It is engaging and challenging to resolve simple cases such as shoplifting or more complicated cases such as embezzlement or driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substances.

At Our Firm We Solve Client Problems by Wrestling With Difficult Facts

Many criminal cases present complicated issues.  Your attorney should take all the time necessary to solve each issue and leave no stone unturned.  For example:

A DUI defendant was arrested with insufficient evidence and framed.

A client was framed by a sheriff’s deputy in a DUI case.  The deputy had known the client from a previous contact and falsely stated in the current case that the client’s car was weaving, that the client exhibited signs of both alcohol intoxication and being under the influence of a drug, that the client refused preliminary alcohol screening device and standard field sobriety tests, and that the defendant refused to take a chemical test at the sheriff’s station. The client denied each accusation.  A cross examination of the deputy on the witness stand about all the symptoms of being under the influence of drugs and other aspects of his investigation destroyed his credibility.  The defendant was found not guilty by the jury. 

An employee of a pizza restaurant was charged with thefts that other employees may have committed.

An employee at a fast food restaurant was charged with the theft of cash receipts over a period of several months.  As evidence, the employer submitted voluminous records showing the dates of the missing cash and the dates of the employee’s attendance.  I filed a motion to exclude this evidence, because an exhaustive review using charts showed that several employees were on duty at the time of the alleged money losses, and those employees could have stolen the money.  The case was reduced to a lesser charge to avoid a trial at the request of the client.

A defendant was charged with vandalism but caused no damage.

A client was charged with felony vandalism after video cameras showed the client dumping a glass of beer onto an electronic roulette machine at a gambling casino.  The casino immediately dismantled the machine, cleaned it, and later claimed that certain parts needed to be replaced due to damage by the beer.  The casino, however, could show neither serial numbers for the replacement parts nor receipts for any new parts.  Legal research revealed that a court in a previous vandalism case ruled that vandalism occurs if there is damage but not if only cleaning is required to restore the property to its former condition.  Our firm then then drafted jury instructions citing the earlier court’s decision, and the DA agreed to reduce the charge to a minor violation that client found acceptable. 

A client was unable to assist an elder but was charged with neglecting the elder.

In another case, the district attorney agreed to a lesser violation after the client had been charged with elder abuse when he neglected to care for his mother.  The case arose after mother refused to accept the son’s assistance, and the son had been unable to gain admission to the mother’s house.  We outlined the facts in great detail to the DA and argued that it was impossible for the defendant to assist his mother.  Though the DA still insisted that the client had assumed responsibility to care for the mother and deserved to be convicted, the DA did not wish to argue at trial that the defendant willfully refused to do something we could show was impossible.  The client wished to avoid a trial and pleaded to a reduced charge. 

We listen to the client and explain the law.

When we meet to discuss your case:

I will listen to your side of the story,  your questions about the law, and your hoped for outcomes, and

I will explain the law, procedures in court (e.g. trial, plea, witnesses), your options, and possible outcomes.

Why is Your Firm Right for a Client?

Your attorney should take on a workload of other cases that will still allow sufficient time for your case.  This office is not a criminal law mill seeking countless retainer fees.  In addition, I will not recommend you plead guilty to a violation, if you can plead to a lesser charge or obtain a dismissal of your case.Add image

What Distinguishes Your Office from Other Attorneys?

I will be relentless in handling your case.I will review the facts thoroughly with you and your other witnesses.  I will visit the scene of the incident, take photos and find any other available witnesses.  I will research all relevant aspects of the law.  I will explore other possible lesser charges with you.  I will negotiate with the prosecutor and may ask the judge for lower indicated sentences when possible.  I will advise you of your prospects in a trial. 

What is Your Best Legal Advice to a Client?

Find an attorney who:

• Cares about your case,
• Understands your objectives,
• Treats you as a family member,
• Communicates with you at all stages of your case,
• Goes the extra mile, leaves no stone unturned, perseveres in negotiating with prosecutors, and
• Will slug it out in a trial if that is your request.