Indexed from official State Bar of California records · Identity verification · Updated regularly

The RegistryCounty Record · California

Criminal Defense Attorneys in Sonoma County, California

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

Venue matters. Criminal defense cases from Sonoma County are ordinarily heard at the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma. Wine country's most populous county; wildfire recovery has kept insurance, rebuilding, and property matters prominent on the Santa Rosa docket since 2017.

The law also keeps time: most misdemeanors: one year to charge; most felonies: three years under 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). The plaque below carries the citation; the roster that follows carries the rest.

This page is the Sonoma County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Criminal Defense Attorneys in California collects all 58 counties.

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

Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma.

County seat: Santa Rosa

Main courthouse: Hall of Justice, 625 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Help with forms without a lawyer: the court's self-help center (source: The court's official website, read 2026-09-27).

Official court information, locations, and filing rules: sonoma.courts.ca.gov

Criminal Defense · Sonoma County roster

211 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list criminal defense among their practice areas with an address of record in Sonoma County.

194 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.

The roster concentrates in Santa Rosa (171), Sebastopol (15), Petaluma (10) and Healdsburg (3).

1 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation, a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.

For 37, the registry records a language other than English, almost always from a firm website published in that language; that describes the website, not an attorney's own ability.

Admission years on this roster run from 1969 to 2025.

The employers most represented here are Sonoma County District Attorney (19), Sonoma County District Attorney's Office (15) and Sonoma County Public Defender (11).

The full Sonoma County roster · 194 attorneys with an active license and a criminal defense practice area: is listed by surname in the 1 sections below.

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In the last 30 days attorneys have read 11 filed matters on the registry.

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Legal information, not legal advice

Criminal Defense matters in Sonoma County

The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.

  • felony charges
  • misdemeanor charges
  • drug possession and sales charges
  • theft, burglary and robbery charges
  • assault and battery charges
  • weapons and gun charges
  • domestic violence charges
  • homicide and murder charges
  • sex crime charges
  • fraud and white-collar charges
  • gang-related charges
  • arson charges
  • warrants and bail
  • probation violations
  • expungement and record sealing
  • juvenile matters

From the answer files

Can I get a conviction expunged in California?Cal. Penal Code § 1203.4How long does California have to file criminal charges?Cal. Penal Code §§ 799–802How much does a criminal defense lawyer cost in California?Cal. Penal Code § 987

Every criminal defense attorney in Sonoma County, by surname

Abrica – Zelig194 attorneys

Criminal Defense by city in Sonoma County

Criminal Defense in Santa RosaSonoma County

Related counsel in Sonoma County

Civil Rights Attorneys in Sonoma County42 U.S.C. § 1983 / Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1Immigration Lawyers in Sonoma County8 C.F.R. § 1003.38All practice areas in Sonoma CountyCounty record

Criminal Defense in nearby counties

Criminal Defense in Mendocino County47 attorneysCriminal Defense in Lake County29 attorneysCriminal Defense in Napa County57 attorneysCriminal Defense in Solano County126 attorneysCriminal Defense in Marin County138 attorneysCriminal Defense Attorneys in CaliforniaStatewide record

Source: Cal. Penal Code §§ 799–802 · State Bar of California licensee records · Checked: · Maintained by the California Attorney Registry from official State Bar of California records. Legal information, not legal advice.

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