ANYWHERE IN THE US CALL: 1-800-508-0000
San Diego County: 1-619-258-8888
CHARGE:
Multiple sex offenses by nationally-known sports coach
RESULT:
Probation
CHARGE:
Commercial Arson
RESULT:
Dismissed at preliminary hearing.
CHARGE:
Gross vehicular manslaughter, while intoxicated
RESULT:
Probation, with work furlough placement
CHARGE:
Fugitive warrant, multiple out-of-state fraud charges
RESULT:
Dismissed after making restitution
Law Office Locations:
Central San Diego
South Bay - Chula Vista
North County - Escondido
UTC - La Jolla
San Diego East County - Alpine,
El Cajon
Meet our Staff of San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyers:
- Terry Allen
- Robert Arentz
- Ron Bobo
- Marcus DeBose
- William Mueller
- Jon Pettis
- David Shapiro
- Thomas Slattery
- Daniel Smith
- Matthew Spiegel
Terry Allen is an attorney for the criminal law division of Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center. Mr. Allen is a Former Judge Advocate in the U.S Marine Corps and has sat as a Judge Pro Tempore in the Vista Court. He has handled numerous felony and misdemeanors cases in State and Federal Courts as well as Military Courts Martial.
Mr. Allen is a Graduate of Baker University in Kansas and the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law. He is admitted to Practice Law in Missouri since 1969 and California since 1978 and Federal District Court.
Robert Arentz is the supervising attorney at Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center. Mr. Arentz is a Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization and has been licensed to practice law in Arizona since 1978 and in California since 1984. In addition to his supervisory role, he also handles high profile and complex cases, as well as felony criminal cases in Arizona and California. Mr. Arentz has been in practice for more than twenty-five years. He has handled numerous criminal trials and appeals, including death penalty litigation.
Mr. Arentz is a graduate of Michigan State University in 1973 with honors and Pepperdine University School of Law in 1978. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Arizona, State of California, and various Federal Courts and before the United States Supreme Court. He has practiced criminal law since 1978, both as a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney.
In 1984, Mr. Arentz assisted in the creation of the Cochise County, Arizona Public Defender's Office, and served as director of that office for over five years. Mr. Arentz has also served as Chairman of an Arizona State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Committee.
Ron Bobo is a highly respected, long time San Diego Criminal defense lawyer. Mr. Bobo obtained his B.A. Degree from San Diego State in 1965, with a major in philosophy and psychology. He received his Master's Degree from SMU in 1968. He earned his Juris Doctorate Law Degree from Western University College of Law in 1975 and he was admitted to practice law in California in February 1976. Mr. Bobo was formerly a felony supervisor with San Diego County Public Defender's office downtown. He was transition training supervisor, helping misdemeanor lawyers progress to handling a felony caseload. He was chief of the El Cajon branch of the Public Defenders office from 1998 to December 2004.
Mr. Bobo has represented over 1,000 clients and conducted more than 100 jury trials. He has achieved acquittals on almost every criminal charge including first and second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon (car, gun, and knife), terrorist threats, domestic violence, robbery, burglary, possession of controlled substance for sale, and sale of controlled substance.
Mr. Bobo is past President and former Board member of the Criminal Defense Bar Association. He is a current member of the San Diego Criminal defense Lawyer's Club, California Public Defender's Association, California Attorneys' for Criminal Justice, and the San Diego County bar Association.
Marcus E. DeBose is an attorney for the criminal law division of the Firm. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he majored in History and minored in Spanish. Mr. DeBose completed an adjunct history studies exchange program at the University of Valencia, in Valencia, Spain. He earned his Juris Doctorate at the University of San Diego School of Law where served as a member of the Appellate Moot Court Board and as a member of the California State Appellate Oral Advocacy Team. Mr. DeBose has been a member of the California Bar since 2001 and is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
In 2002, Mr. DeBose obtained an acquittal on his first jury trial wherein his client was falsely accused of domestic violence. Since then he has obtained several favorable jury verdicts, evidence suppression rulings and probation grants on both misdemeanor and felony cases. Devoted to volunteer service and the maintenance of community ties, Mr. DeBose will serve as President of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association in 2006 and is a member of the Mission Valley Rotary Club. Mr. DeBose speaks fluent Spanish.
Mr. Bobo is past President and former Board member of the Criminal Defense Bar Association. He is a current member of the San Diego Criminal defense Lawyer's Club, California Public Defender's Association, California Attorneys' for Criminal Justice, and the San Diego County bar Association.
William Mueller is an Senior Trial Attorney in the Criminal Law Division of Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center.
He has been in private practice since 1982, working almost exclusively on criminal felony and misdemeanor cases. Mr. Mueller has also done some appellate work and argued before the United States Court of Appeal in and for the Ninth Circuit. His defense work also includes three years with the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara County Public Defender's Offices.
Mr. Mueller served with distinction in the United States Marines and is a Vietnam Combat Veteran. He was awarded the Purple Heart, one of the most respected of all military decorations, in 1969.
Mr. Mueller received his Bachelor's Degree from St. Joseph College in Indiana and his Juris Doctorate from the University Of San Diego School Of Law. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1978.
Jon Pettis is an attorney for the criminal division of Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center. Mr. Pettis has over 11 years experience as a criminal defense attorney. He has represented clients in both State and Federal courts in cases ranging from simple misdemeanors to very serious felonies. Mr. Pettis is an experienced trial attorney having taken dozens of cases through trial with many successful verdicts. He has also had great success representing clients whose rights were violated by the police, having evidence suppressed and having those cases dismissed.
Mr. Pettis has extensive experience defending clients accused of DUI. He has developed an excellent understanding of police procedures, field sobriety tests, the science involved in DUI cases and explaining to juries why chemical tests are often inaccurate. He is a two- time graduate of the National College for DUI Defense and a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Mr. Pettis is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated with honors. He attended UCLA School of Law where he was a Moot Court award winner.
Thomas Slattery is also a supervising attorney for the criminal law division for the firm. He is a former prosecutor and felony defense attorney who has represented hundreds of clients in cases ranging from death-penalty murder to driving under the influence of alcohol. Mr. Slattery has tried more than 50 cases to verdict.
Mr. Slattery is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, and he is licensed to practice law in the State of California, and in the Federal District Courts.
David P. Shapiro was the most recent addition to what was formerly Steigerwalt & Associates, joining the firm in the fall of 2007.
David has dedicated his career to defending those accused of crimes. Mr. Shapiro graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies in 2003 and thereafter attended Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2006. David served as President of the Tulane Criminal Law Society and excelled as a student-attorney in the nationally renowned Tulane Criminal Law Clinic. In connection with his service at the Tulane Criminal Law Clinic, he advocated on behalf of inmates and criminal defendants, including prisoners whose rights had been impinged due to the collapse of the New Orleans criminal justice system in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, garnering recognition in several international news documentaries in the process. David also worked for Tulane's Project for Older Prisoners (POPS) and is one of only a few student-attorneys to have successfully argued before the Louisiana State Board of Parole..
David moved to San Diego in 2006 when he was selected for the highly competitive and sought after post-bar internship with the San Diego County Public Defender's Office. He previously had worked with criminal defense offices in his native New York City.
Some of Mr. Shapiro's accolades in San Diego include, but have not been limited to:
- Felony Burglary Charges = Dismissed at First Readiness Conference
- DUI & Weapons Charges = Dismissed at First Readiness Conference
- DUI (Drugs) = Not Guilty after Jury Trial
- Battery w/ Serious Bodily Injury = Dismissed After Hung Jury (9-3 Not Guilty)
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia = Charges Dismissed on Day of Trial
- Domestic Violence Battery = Charges Dismissed on Day of Trial
- Charges which would have required Lifetime Registration as a Sex Offender = Dismissed on Day of Trial
- Temporary (Civil) Restraining Order = Dismissed, and Attorney's fees paid by Opposing Party
- Numerous Traffic Offenses = Dismissed at, or during, Trial
David cares about his clients, and strives to make a positive difference in their lives.
His knowledge, dedication, and countless hours in the courtroom make him a valuable asset to the trial team at Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center.
Daniel M. Smith is a Criminal Defense Attorney with Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center.
He has an extensive background in Federal criminal defense cases and has served as a Federal trial lawyer for Federal Defenders, Inc. since 1990. His experience includes time on the State Criminal Appeals Panel and the Federal Trial Panel.
Mr. Smith has had great success raising creative defenses over his career. As early as 1992, Mr. Smith successfully argued the "battered woman syndrome" defense in a bank robbery case on behalf of his client. Mr. Smith maintains that issues sometimes hide in the reports. For example, in a cut and dry third time DUI case, Mr. Smith argued that the prosecution must prove that Federal jurisdiction is ceded to the State when the stop occurs on a military base - he found it in the reports and the defense motion was granted and case dismissed. "I tell my clients that many times, the important issues are hidden until we get the police reports.
Mr. Smith is a third generation trial attorney, following in the footsteps of his father, the Hon. Ralph G. Smith, Jr., a judge for 18 years and Ralph G. Smith, Sr., his grandfather, who earned notoriety successfully defending bootleggers in the days of prohibition. You may sometimes find Mr. Smith on the telephone talking defense strategies with his father, now that he is a retired judge.
Mr. Smith received his Bachelor's Degree from Arizona State University and his Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law. He also holds a membership to the Arizona Bar, the US District Court and Southern District of California Bar Membership. Mr Smith was admitted to the California State Bar in 1990.
Matthew Spiegel is an attorney for the criminal law division of Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center who speaks both English and Spanish. Mr. Spiegel graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor degree in economics. He earned his Law Degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.
Mr. Spiegel has extensive experience in handling various types of misdemeanor and felony cases. He has tried many misdemeanor and felony cases, involving charges such as DUI, Child Abuse, and Sex Offender matters. Mr. Spiegel also has experience in drafting all types of criminal and civil motions.
David P. Shapiro is the most recent addition to the Steigerwalt team of attorneys, joining the firm in the fall of 2007.
Mr. Shapiro has dedicated his career to defending those accused of crimes. He graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies in 2003 and thereafter attended Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2006. David served as President of the Tulane Criminal Law Society and excelled as a student-attorney in the nationally renowned Tulane Criminal Law Clinic. In connection with his service at the Tulane Criminal Law Clinic, he advocated on behalf of inmates and criminal defendants, including prisoners whose rights had been impinged due to the collapse of the New Orleans criminal justice system in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, garnering recognition in several international news documentaries in the process. David also worked for Tulane's Project for Older Prisoners (POPS) and is one of only a few student-attorneys to have successfully argued before the Louisiana State Board of Parole.
David moved to San Diego when he was selected for the highly competitive and sought after post-bar internship with the San Diego County Public Defender's Office in 2006. He also has worked with criminal defense office in his native New York City.
David cares about his clients, and strives to make a positive difference in their lives.
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