The RegistrySan Joaquin Valley · California

Criminal Defense Lawyers in Fresno, California

Every criminal defense lawyer and criminal defense attorney listing on this page traces back to the State Bar of California's official roll, filtered to criminal defense matters in Fresno. Verification describes profile identity, not quality or outcomes.

Fresno is a city of roughly 545,000, and its criminal defense matters are heard at the Fresno County Superior Court: B.F. Sisk Courthouse. Fresno is the legal center of the San Joaquin Valley: the B.F. Sisk Courthouse carries one of the state's heavier per-judge caseloads, the Fifth District Court of Appeal sits downtown, and agricultural employment and immigration practice run deep.

Before comparing counsel, note the clock. Under Cal. Penal Code §§ 799–802, the governing period is most misdemeanors: one year to charge; most felonies: three years. Charging deadlines scale with the offense: crimes punishable by death or life imprisonment, and embezzlement of public money, may be prosecuted at any time (Cal. Penal Code § 799). After arrest, arraignment must generally occur within 48 hours (Cal. Penal Code § 825).

This page is the Fresno chapter of the registry's statewide record · Criminal Defense Attorneys in California collects every county and city.

The clock & the court

Statute of limitations

Most misdemeanors: one year to charge; most felonies: three years.

Cal. Penal Code §§ 799–802

Charging deadlines scale with the offense: crimes punishable by death or life imprisonment, and embezzlement of public money, may be prosecuted at any time (Cal. Penal Code § 799). After arrest, arraignment must generally occur within 48 hours (Cal. Penal Code § 825).

Court of record · Fresno County

Superior Court of California, County of Fresno.

Main courthouse: Fresno Superior Courthouse Downtown Location, 1100 Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA 93724

For Fresno: Fresno County Superior Court: B.F. Sisk Courthouse.

Court website · Self-help center · Source: The court's official website, read 2026-09-27. Venue depends on the case; legal information, not legal advice.

Criminal Defense · Fresno roster

340 active attorneys with an address of record in Fresno list criminal defense among their practice areas on the registry, out of 1,790 active attorneys whose address of record is in Fresno.

By count, the practice areas most often listed by Fresno attorneys are criminal defense (340), litigation (257), business law (254), employment (214) and real estate (179). A count of listings, not a measure of skill.

None of the 1,790 has yet claimed and verified their record here; every listing is the official record as published.

For 116 of the 1,790 active attorneys in Fresno, the registry holds a firm website published in a language other than English; by count, Spanish (106), Punjabi (50), Persian (14) and Russian (5). That describes the website, not the attorney's own ability; an attorney's profile says when they have confirmed a language themselves.

Reading the roster in Fresno. For criminal charges, the useful questions are concrete: how often the attorney appears in the specific courthouse where your case is set, their experience with the charged offense, who will actually stand up in court with you, and how fees are structured (criminal defense is typically flat-fee by stage of case). Move fast: early representation matters at arraignment and bail, and pre-filing intervention can sometimes shape charging decisions.

Address of record in Fresno