Pat Carey is a State Bar Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist and Former Prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.   After leaving the District Attorney’s office, he opened his own Criminal Justice practice out of Torrance. He brings his knowledge of everything prosecution and good standing connections within the DA office, to put forward the best possible defense for his clients. He has not only the experience, but Pat has also been an integral part of training programs for Law Enforcement agencies and new prosecutors during his tenure with the DA’s Office.  In September 2017, Pat trained a South Bay law enforcement task force at Gardena Police Department on how to conduct DUI investigations.  As a criminal defense lawyer, he has mastered the art of negotiation for his clients, and when your case cannot be settled Pat is relentless at trial.  His trial experience is unmatched by his competitors given his experience in the District Attorney’s office.

Pat is a Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist with the California State Bar.  What does that mean?  There are 250,000 lawyers in California and only 400 have been granted the specialization.  The State Bar will only award the specialization to those lawyers with sufficient trial statistics and courtroom experience.  So while a defense lawyer may tell you they have all the experience in the world, if they are not a Board Certified Specialist, they do not have the specific experience they claim.

Pat Carey is not just a “former prosecutor.”  He has tried 60+ jury trials for cases ranging from driving under the influence misdemeanors to gang crimes to special circumstance murder cases. As a District Attorney, he additionally spent one year assigned to a juvenile division focusing exclusively on juvenile cases where he handled over 75 juvenile adjudication trials. As a felony trial lawyer, Pat conducted over 1,600 preliminary hearings. His experience as a prosecutor is unmatched by many who claim to be “former prosecutors.” In his time as a criminal defense attorney, he has had cases dismissed either at the urging of the prosecutor or by taking the case to a judge and requiring dismissal. In addition to his jury trial experience, Pat Carey has also handled thousands of drug possession and sales cases, sex crimes, robberies, burglaries, fraud, theft, and embezzlement cases.  Pat is a new breed of criminal defense attorney.  He is up to date on the law, is technologically savvy, and understands how the office that is prosecuting you works inside and out.  In his career as a criminal defense lawyer, he has already been named “Client’s Choice” by the lawyer rating guide, Avvo.com, every year since 2015.

While Pat works cases all over Los Angeles County, his criminal law firm specializes in the South Bay, given his long-standing relationships in the local courtrooms. Pat’s main office is located in Torrance and he most frequently handles cases in Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo, Torrance, Palos Verdes, and Long Beach.

ASSOCIATIONS

• Super Lawyers, 2016 to present
• National Trial Lawyers Association, 2015 to present
• Los Angeles County Bar Association, 2008 to present
• Association of Deputy District Attorneys, 2008-2014
• California District Attorneys Association, 2008-2014
• Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society, 2003-2007

AWARDS

• Top 100, National Trial Lawyers Association, 2018
• Southern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2018
• Southern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2017
• Certified Criminal Law Specialist, California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, 2017
• Southern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2016
• Top 40 Under 40, National Trial Lawyers Association, 2016
• Top 40 Under 40, National Trial Lawyers Association, 2015
• Excellence for the Future: White Collar and Criminal Law, Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction, 2007

PUBLICATIONS

• Judge Strikes Down Class Certification, The Daily Breeze, 2017
• Pat Carey Recognized by Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers Magazine, 2017
• Ex-Inglewood Man gets 25-life for 1994 Strangling, San Jose Mercury News, 2012
• Former Peninsula High Student Faces 4 Years, The Daily Breeze, 2010
• Judge Orders Torrance Man to Stand Trial for Hate Crime, Contra Costa Times, 2008

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• How to Conduct DUI Investigations for Police Officers, Gardena Police Department, 2017
• Handling Probation Violations, Fox News, 2015
• How to Be a Prosecutor, District Attorney’s Office New Hires College, 2014
• Criminal Procedure, Southwestern University School of Law, 2013
• The Art of Prosecuting Crimes, District Attorney’s Office New Hires College, 2013
• Project Lead, Criminal Law Educator, 2013
• Driving Under the Influence for Successful Prosecution, Manhattan Beach Police Department, 2011