• Johnnie Cochran – represented for O. J. Simpson, Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Rosa Parks, and Michael Jackson. Known for his successful cases against police brutality and civil rights.
• Mark Geragos – represented Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder, Chris Brown, Susan McDougal, Scott Peterson, and Gary Condit.
• Alan Dershowitz – represented O. J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, and Michael Milken. Successfully defended 13 of the 15 attempted murder and murder cases he’s been involved with.
• Gloria Allred – represented Amber Frey, several of Tiger Wood’s alleged mistresses. She is known for successfully representing women in high-profile and controversial cases.
• Leslie Abramson – represented Phil Spector and Lyle and Erik Melendez in the murder trial for their parents. She is known for defending high-profile clients accused of murder.
• Anne Bremner – represented Amanda Knox, the Des Moines Police Department, and the families in the molestation charges against Michael Jackson. She has won every civil case she was involved in and brought civil actions against her attorney general.
• F. Lee Bailey  – represented O. J. Simpson, Dr. Sam Sheppard, Captain Ernest Medina, and Dr. Carl Coppolino.
• Shawn Holley Chapman – represented Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and the Kardashian sisters. She worked with Johnnie Cochran on several cases.
• Dick Deguerin – represented House Majority Leader Tom Delay, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, David Koresh, and several bankers in the Enron empire collapse. He is known for high-profile clients.
• Robert Shapiro – represented O. J. Simpson, Darryl Strawberry, Jose Conseco, Linda Lovelace, Lindsay Lohan, and the Kardashian family. He is known for being a celebrity lawyer.

Follow this link for more information.

If anything like this has happened to you and your require legal representation, call Jake Brower’s offices at 714-547-4000.

• Auto fraud – Scammers try to sell cars they don’t own, posing both as individuals and dealers.
• Real estate fraud — rental scams, bogus loan modifications, fake time-share marketing, etc.
• Extortion or general intimidation
• Impersonation of an FBI agent – tricks computers and people into revealing sensitive data
• A “hit man” protection scheme – the victim is told that he or she has been targeted by a contract killer who can be bribed to call off the hit.

If you suspect you may have encountered a scammer, here are a few ways to protect yourself.

• If your correspondent only accepts wire transfers or cash, don’t follow through.
• Make sure your merchandise purchases are from reputable sources.
• Don’t order from somewhere the operates from a post office box or mail drops. Make sure the organization has a full address.
• Don’t click on unsolicited e-mail. Go directly to the organization’s official website.
• Never give out your credit card number unless it’s to a secure and reputable service.

For a list of official warning signs and tips, go here. You can also file an online fraud complaint here, which will help agencies to track and record the correct number of online fraud instances.

Follow this link for more information.

Identity theft can happen to anyone. An impostor steals your sensitive information to obtain credit, services, possessions, rentals, loans, and anything you could ever think of for your own life. They could drain your bank account, max out your credit cards, pay for medical treatments, and open new accounts. But not only that, a thief could use your information to commit other crimes, and your financial credibility could be destroyed by the time you discover the crime.

Identity thieves can scrounge around for your information in the garbage, the mail, or even hacking and phishing on the Internet. They can also pretend to be a company representative that you might trust. Thankfully, there are preventative measures that you can use.

• Invest in a paper shredder to destroy personal documents before throwing them out. Those documents include credit card offers, bills, checks, statements, receipts, old credit cards, etc.
• Shield the ATM keys while you enter your PIN so no one can look over your shoulder or see the PIN in the security camera.
• Retrieve your new checks from the bank to limit the possibility of thieves stealing your checks from the mail.
• Drop important or sensitive mail in the official U.S. post office or mailbox instead of leaving it in your mail slot at home.
• Check if you received your new credit card as scheduled to be sure you received it on time. If it’s longer, someone may have used its information already.
• Cancel cards that haven’t been used for at least six months.
• Never carry your Social Security card, birth certificate, and Medicare card in your wallet.
• Refrain from giving sensitive information to people who contact you first.
• Sign up for business cards and credit cards that feature your photo on the front to make identity verification easier.
• Limit what sensitive information you share online.
• Control the data that others could see when they log in to your computer.

Follow this link for more information.

Hollywood tends to over-dramatize situations, but you have to hand it to the stories: they are unique and the criminal defense lawyers are somehow geniuses who are able to manipulate the courtroom for their benefits.

If you want a short list of movies to watch, try the list below.

• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Chicago
• My Cousin Vinny
• The Lincoln Lawyer
• A Time to Kill
• Anatomy of a Murderer
• Sleepers
• Murder in the First
• A Few Good Men

Check them out when you have the time. You might like what you see.

If a police officer encounters facts or evidence that would lead a reasonable person to believe that a crime has been committed, then that officer has the right to make an arrest, conduct a search of person or property, or obtain a warrant for an arrest. “Probable” may relate to statistical probability or to a general standard of common customs and behavior. Hearsay can also provide probable cause if the witness is a reliable source or provides reliable evidence.

Be aware that the officer only needs probable cause to search your vehicle, but does require a warrant to search your house.

Circumstances that could result in probable cause include but are not limited to:

• the sight or smell of contraband in plain view
• the sight of abnormal behavior (such as weaving while driving)
• an admission of guilt for a specific crime

However, minor traffic violations—such as speeding, a broken tail light, expired registration—are not considered means for probable cause.

There is a way to get out of probable cause, though, especially concerning your vehicle. Police officers require consent in order to search a vehicle, no matter what. Even if they have probable cause, they will also ask to “see what’s in the back” or use any other method to get the driver to agree to a search. If you do not want the officer to search your car, simply state (and repeat as necessary): “Officer, I don’t consent to any searches.”

Here’s the kicker. If the you refuse consent and the officer still searches you and finds illegal items, a lawyer can file for a “motion to suppress” (which means to “throw out”) the evidence in court.

For more information, follow this link and this link.