The juvenile court system in California is completely different from adult courts. The law, the charges, and the circumstances are all very specialized. Unless your attorney is intimately familiar with the juvenile court, your son or daughter could pay the consequences for your lawyer’s lack of knowledge.

The goal of the juvenile court system is to prevent juvenile delinquency from evolving into adult criminality. However, in some instances, a juvenile may be charged in adult court. At the Irvine law firm of Pilchman & Kay, PLC, our attorneys work to keep juveniles within the juvenile court system, where options other than incarceration exist. Because of our background as former DA’s, we are familiar with the programs within the juvenile justice system and will pursue the option that minimize negative consequences. At the same time, we're prepared to work with private investigators, forensic experts, firearm experts, lab technicians, and other professionals in defending juveniles in cases involving all types of criminal charges.

As former prosecutors, one of whom worked as a juvenile deputy district attorney in juvenile court, we understand what needs to be done in order to minimize the likelihood of having a juvenile tried as an adult. We can guide you through the criminal court process from arrest to meeting with your assigned probation officer and if need be, in court and at trial. We can negotiate with prosecutors and judges to give your son or daughter the opportunity to make amends and keep any criminal conviction from ruining their future. To schedule a free, confidential consultation, contact Irvine juvenile defense attorneys at Pilchman & Kay today

Criminal Charges and Juvenile Crime

The criminal defense lawyers at Pilchman & Kay represent young people charged with committing the following kinds of crime:

• Weapons on school grounds
• Fit and proper hearings
• Graffiti (“tagging”)
• Underage drinking
• Murder (homicide)
• 707(b) offenses
• Shoplifting
• Vandalism
• Truancy
• Forgery
• Assault
• Theft
• Aggravated Assault and Battery

Intervention and Prevention: Giving Young People a Second Chance

Our criminal court system can be very unforgiving once people enter it. Intended to punish rather than help people solve problems, prison often amplifies attitudes and behavioral traits that lead to recidivism and further entanglement in the penal system. That's why as juvenile criminal defense lawyers we're committed to working with the court in order to help young people get a second chance. Working with counselors, social workers, and juvenile officers, we ask the court to sentence juveniles to community service and enrollment in intervention programs instead of sending them to jail or juvenile detention.

Contact Pilchman & Kay

It's important to consult an experienced juvenile criminal defense attorney as soon as possible after a young person has been arrested for committing a crime. Since the adult and juvenile criminal court systems are very different, working with a lawyer who understands the processes and requirements involved can make a difference in helping a young person avoid the more serious consequences of their actions. To discuss you son's or daughter's case, contact Orange County juvenile criminal defense lawyers at Pilchman & Kay, PLC today.