The RegistryBay Area · California

Criminal Defense Lawyers in San Francisco, California

Looking for a criminal defense lawyer near you in San Francisco? Explore the San Francisco County record for criminal defense attorneys on the State Bar of California's official roll and review each profile for yourself.

San Francisco is a city of roughly 808,000, and its criminal defense matters are heard at the San Francisco County Superior Court: Civic Center Courthouse. San Francisco is California's only consolidated city and county; its superior court hears civil matters at the Civic Center Courthouse, and the city hosts the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit, and the State Bar of California's headquarters.

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 San Francisco 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 · San Francisco County

Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.

Main courthouse: Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

For San Francisco: San Francisco County Superior Court: Civic Center 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 · San Francisco roster

1,009 active attorneys with an address of record in San Francisco list criminal defense among their practice areas on the registry, out of 17,779 active attorneys whose address of record is in San Francisco.

By count, the practice areas most often listed by San Francisco attorneys are business law (4,365), litigation (3,337), employment (1,899), intellectual property (1,774) and real estate (1,289). A count of listings, not a measure of skill.

15 of the 17,779 have claimed and verified their record here; every other listing is the official record as published.

For 1,696 of the 17,779 active attorneys in San Francisco, the registry holds a language other than English; by count, Spanish (1,145), French (836), Chinese (824) and Japanese (580). Attorneys themselves confirmed Spanish (1); the rest come from a firm website published in that language, which describes the website, not the attorney.

Reading the roster in San Francisco. 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 San Francisco