The Miller Law Firm

Great day in Inglewood court! I was ready to go on a preliminary hearing with a suppression motion. The DA had to dismiss the case in its entirety based on the motion we submitted to the court. Here are the facts: Client and his cousin were charged with felon in possession of a firearm after being stopped for tinted windows. They both had felony convictions from their younger years. People with felony convictions are disallowed from owning or possessing firearms. The Los Ange...les Sheriff's deputy that searched the vehicle stated it was due to the "strong odor of fresh marijuana" emanating from the vehicle. As a result of the smell of marijuana alone, the deputy searched the vehicle and its occupants and located two loaded firearms and a jar of marijuana in the trunk. Both my client and his cousin were charged with felony in possession of a firearm and faced prison time. However, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputy did not follow the law - so I filed a PC 1538.5 Search and Seizure motion arguing that the odor of marijuana on its own does not provide law enforcement probable cause to search. If marijuana is legal in California - how can the odor of fresh marijuana be evidence of a crime? Needless to say, the case was dismissed and my client can now move on with his life. To think, my client faced up to 6 years in prison for this case, where the LASD illegally searched the car. This is why filing these motions matter. #criminaldefense #searchandseizure #criminaldefenseattorney #felony #casedismissed

When I’m hired on a case I appreciate the tremendous amount of trust my clients put in me when choosing me as their legal counsel. I am often guiding them through a very dark and scary moment in their lives. Whether they are facing a misdemeanor or a life sentence, I am entrusted to be their advocate to stand up against a system vying to take their freedom, livelihood and future. #criminaldefense #attorney #Felony #misdemeanor #DUI #murder #abogado #criminaljustice

Imagine growing up in a neighborhood with "gang activity". If you encounter police, even as a child, they can and often will label you as a gang member by virtue of being a resident of that community or hanging in an area where "gang activity" occurs. That label is incredibly difficult to remove. It follows you. It defines you. And if you are ever arrested in the future, a prosecutor has wide discretion to charge a "gang enhancement" that alleges your criminal behavior was fo...r the benefit of or at the direction of a street gang. This enhancement will be based off that (mis)labelling by police years ago. Even if you are not a member of a gang, or no longer in the gang - that enhancement can be charged. Now that you are charged with this incredibly punitive enhancement (which in some cases can carry a life sentence in prison) the prosecution has even more leverage against you to force a plea or obtain a conviction at trial. Which communities does this reality impact the most? Underserved communities of color that are extremely over policed. The LAPD, coincidentally one of the biggest gangs in Los Angeles, have been exposed as labeling actual babies (literal infants) as gang members. Records show police also falsify these records, or label anyone with police contact because they "fit the description". So next time you see someone denying racial bias in the legal system - recognize the incredible privilege and lack of knowledge they must have to believe some numbers deny the realities of millions. This is just a piece of it, the full extent of the systemic issues are rampant.

Fighting to keep my client out of custody at the Long Beach courthouse. #criminaldefense #criminaljustice #defundthepolice #criminaljusticereform #longbeachcourthouse

This painting is of Bobby Bostic. At 16 years old, he and another teenager committed armed robbery. Even though he was just 16 at the time, Bobby was charged as an adult and ultimately found guilty at trial. Tragically, the trial judge decided to run Bobby’s sentences consecutively and sentenced him to 241 years in prison, an effective life sentence.... The judge then told Bobby, a teenager, you will die in the Department of Corrections. 3 years later while in prison, Bobby signed up for garden duty. Even in such a sad and dangerous place like prison, Bobby found peace in the garden. Being in prison can make a person feel dirty, Bobby said, But here I was picking weeds from the soil. Weeding the garden became a form of therapy... Bobby has since written 13 books, obtained his paralegal certificate and is earning an associates degree. Bobby was hoping to be released after recent supreme court decisions disallowed sentencing juveniles to life without parole. Unfortunately, because Bobby would technically be eligible for parole at 112 years old the changes in the law did not apply to him. While discouraging, Bobby remains optimistic. The prison garden continues to help me along my difficult journey. It lets me know that something beautiful can grow from dirt. When given the opportunity, remember Bobby’s story and consider voting for criminal and juvenile justice reform measures. We deprive so many of their full potential because of tough on crime policies, over-policing and punitive sentencing laws. It’s time for change. Care not cages! #criminaldefense #criminaljustice #criminaldefenselawyer #prisonreform #criminaljusticereform #carenotcages @marshallproj Illustration by @shyamagolden

A few weeks ago I visited my client in county jail. He was facing a decade in prison after a bad night resulted in 3 very serious felony charges. On the day I visited, my client had been in a fight after being the victim of an attack by other inmates. While he languished away in county jail, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Even though the charges he faced could result in him being sent away to prison for almost a decade - today a judge gave our client a chance. He critically listened to our arguments and agreed to release our client on his own recognizance so our client can safely seek shelter at home with his family while our office continues to fight his case #threestrikes #carenotcages #freethemall #pandemic #lawyering #criminaldefense #themillerlaw

Just another Monday @themillerlaw #criminaldefense #themillerlaw #searchwarrants #fourthamendment #searchandseizure

Today we honor the life of Cesar Chavez who dedicated his life to economic and social justice. His legacy is defined by courage and fortitude and his fight for economic justice continues #cesarchavez #cesarchavezday #workersrights

It is shameful that we incarcerate people in already dangerous jails while denying them the basic necessities like soap and water during a global pandemic. #LetThemGo #ClemencyCoast2Coast #CareNotCages #themillerlaw #criminaldefense

With two parents as criminal defense attorneys, Frankie has known her rights since the day she was born #fridayfunny #attorneysofinstagram #criminaldefenseattorney #lawyersofinstagram #themillerlaw #babiesofinstagram @ The Miller Law Firm

Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the future, when you are posed with legal reform measures on the ballot, remember Dr. King's words about criminal justice reform: "This is not a political issue: it is ultimately a moral issue. It is a question of the dignity of man.

LAPD and other local law enforcement agencies have been utilizing Palantir's TBird / ALPR software that photographs, monitors and tracks each and every vehicle driven on LA County roads through the use of a huge network of cameras positioned throughout the county. In other words - if you've driven in LA county recently - your vehicle has been photographed by cameras spread across the county and that information is now stored in databases and can potentially be used against yo...u in the future. The system allows law enforcement to be alerted whenever a particular plate is captured by one of the system's many cameras. It also allows law enforcement to go back to a specific date to search a particular area for certain types of vehicles or license plates to assist with their investigations. Peter Bibring, director of police practices for the ACLU of California, says it is now standard practice for officers to use ALPR as a surveillance tool even when officers have no reason to believe a driver was involved in any criminal activity. While this tool has been useful in police investigations, without absolute transparency and oversight of the system's usage, this tool (just like any other) is ripe for misuse and abuse. This system can disproportionately impact minority and poor neighborhoods especially as the cumulated data is used in algorithms to predict criminal activity. It also can be used to surveil and invade the privacy rights of law abiding citizens.

"Until Larry Krasner entered the race for District Attorney of Philadelphia last year, he had never prosecuted a case. He began his career as a public defender, and spent three decades as a defense attorney. In the legal world, there is an image, however cartoonish, of prosecutors as conservative and unsparing, and of defense attorneys as righteous and perpetually outraged. Krasner, who had a long ponytail until he was forty, seemed to fit the mold. As he and his colleagues e...ngaged in daily combat with the D.A.’s office, they routinely complained about prosecutors who, they believed, withheld evidence that they were legally required to give to the defense; about police who lied under oath on the witness stand; and about the D.A. Lynne Abraham, whose successful prosecutions, over nearly twenty years, sent more people to death row than those of any other D.A. in modern Philadelphia history." See more