Pelta Law is a San Francisco criminal defense law firm led by former prosecutor Marc Pelta. He spent three years filing charges before he started defending against them.
Today, his practice covers felony crimes, violent crimes, DUI, drug offenses, and juvenile cases. Pelta also handles restraining orders and professional licensing board investigations, which matter for nurses, doctors, and contractors whose careers ride on the outcome.
He is admitted to three federal district courts in California and before the U.S. Supreme Court. Super Lawyers selected him in 2024, a list capped at 5% of attorneys per state. Clients across Northern and Southern California can reach him through the Market Street office.
Christopher Morales founded this firm in 1991 and holds board certification as a criminal law specialist, a credential fewer than 400 California attorneys carry.
Since then, he has represented thousands of people facing criminal charges in San Francisco and statewide. The docket runs from misdemeanor theft to murder, with steady work in DUI, drug crimes, domestic violence, fraud, and federal court. Expungement and record-clearing cases round it out.
Morales is a Berkeley and Santa Clara Law graduate, plus a former amateur boxer who talks openly about bringing that mindset into the courtroom. The firm answers the phone 24/7, offers free case reviews, and keeps a second office in Redwood City. Staff speaks Spanish and Chinese.
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Summit Defense ranks among Northern California's largest criminal defense practices, with eight offices spanning San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Redwood City, and Sacramento.
The team carries more than 120 years of combined experience and includes three former prosecutors, a former police officer, and a board-certified appellate specialist. They take only criminal work: DUI, drug crimes, sex crimes, domestic violence, embezzlement, and federal charges.
Immigration exposure gets factored into every plea decision, which changes the math for non-citizens. Cases are staffed by a team rather than one lawyer, so several sets of eyes review the evidence.
Consultations are free, confidential, and available on weekends. Payment plans are offered, and in-home meetings can be arranged.
The Law Offices of Jonah Chew handles misdemeanor and felony matters in San Francisco and seven nearby counties, including San Mateo, Alameda, and Santa Clara.
Practice areas cover DUI, drug crimes, white-collar offenses, and sex crimes in state and federal court. Published results include felony drug sales dismissed at the preliminary hearing and immigration-safe pleas with no jail time. Chew is a Super Lawyers honoree, and the office schedules same-day consultations by phone or text.
Sergio H. Benavides has practiced criminal defense and immigration law for over 15 years from San Leandro, serving San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward, and the wider East Bay.
He was named to America's Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys in 2018. Cases range from a first DUI to armed robbery, often alongside green card, asylum, or U visa work for the same family. Se habla español. Clients have 24-hour online access to their files, and the office accepts payment plans.
Valery Nechay runs a solo practice focused on state and federal charges in San Francisco County and the surrounding Bay Area courts.
Her caseload spans misdemeanors, felonies, drug and theft charges, white-collar allegations, asset forfeiture, and juvenile defense. She also brings civil rights claims, including excessive force suits against police officers. Nechay handles each case herself instead of routing it to an associate, and she is a Super Lawyers honoree. The first consultation is free.
Adam Gasner is a board-certified criminal law specialist with 25+ years in San Francisco state courts and federal courts nationwide. That certification belongs to fewer than 400 of California's 250,000 licensed lawyers.
His work centers on serious felonies: homicide, sex offenses, gun charges, fraud, money laundering, and RICO. Gasner meets every client personally and reviews the evidence himself. He has hundreds of five-star reviews, takes emergency calls at any hour, and consults for free.
Pezhman Pakneshan prosecuted more than 1,000 DUI cases as a Deputy District Attorney before he moved to the defense side.
The Pakneshan Firm now covers DUI, violent crimes, theft, firearm charges, white-collar matters, and record clearance across twelve Northern California counties. His DUI training through the state Department of Justice includes breath-testing analysis and alcohol extrapolation. Calls are answered on weekends and holidays, and the first consultation costs nothing.
Two former prosecutors started Jayne Law Group in 2006, and the boutique still leans on that inside view of how a prosecutor's office actually works.
Julia Jayne brings nearly 30 years of practice and more than 40 jury trials. Much of the docket involves white-collar investigations, fraud, and international extradition, often for executives and medical professionals. The Daily Journal named the firm one of California's Top 20 boutique law firms, and Chambers USA has ranked Jayne for white-collar work.
Ginny Walia Law Offices covers criminal defense, DUI, family law, and personal injury for clients throughout the Bay Area.
Walia has over 20 years of courtroom experience and appears as a legal analyst on NBC, CBS, and MSNBC. Felony trials, homicide allegations, and white-collar investigations are handled in-house. Consultations are free.
Matt Sullivan started out as a deputy public defender in Marin County and has handled hundreds of criminal cases since. His San Francisco office defends DUI, sex crimes, firearm offenses, computer crimes, and theft, with wins on suppression motions and at trial. Super Lawyers has listed him every year since 2018.
Neil Hallinan is a third-generation Bay Area trial attorney running a small practice with offices in San Francisco and Oakland. Alongside trial work, the firm files motions to expunge convictions, cut felonies down to misdemeanors, and end probation early.
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Hickey & Chung is a waterfront boutique built around federal charges, government investigations, healthcare fraud, and campus Title IX cases. Partners Naomi Chung and Brendan Hickey, a former federal defender, cap their caseload on purpose. Both are Super Lawyers honorees.