We provide our clients with vigorous representation, combining the expertise and breadth expected of a large firm with the responsiveness and focus of a small firm. Our attorneys are seasoned trial lawyers who have spent years handling cases in state and federal trial and appellate courts in California and beyond. We strive to meet our clients’ litigation goals and are creative in managing the costs of litigation by using efficient staffing, small teams and effective planning.

Criminal Defense

We handle criminal cases of all kinds, from the most serious offenses to minor infractions. Our practice ranges from white collar and financial crime investigations to environmental cases to high-tech matters to homicides. We also have a depth of experience in post-conviction and criminal appellate cases.

White Collar Crimes. The representation of individuals and corporations under investigation or charged with violating federal or state criminal laws is the centerpiece of our criminal practice. We have represented officials at top corporations such as Enron, Reliant Energy Services, Critical Path, Tosco, and Morgan Stanley. The firm has handled a wide variety of cases nationwide, including stock-option backdating, fraud, tax, antitrust, environmental, campaign finance, intellectual property and computer crimes. We are experienced in handling these matters from pre-indictment investigation through trial. An important part of our white-collar practice is the representation of clients in parallel civil or administrative proceedings, particularly before the Securities and Exchange Commission.

General Criminal Defense. The firm handles every kind of criminal case, from large-scale international drug conspiracies to homicide to driving under the influence – in both the state and federal courts. We successfully have represented clients charged with crimes or facing investigations in federal courts throughout the country as well as in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Joaquin and Tulare counties.

Civil Litigation

On the civil side, we specialize in parallel proceedings – various civil actions brought against businesses and individuals facing concurrent criminal investigations, including those related to Whistleblower allegations and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Because we regularly practice in both the civil and criminal arenas, we are able effectively and efficiently to represent our clients in either – or both – actions. Clients who find themselves in this situation frequently face dilemmas in legal strategies as competing agendas in the civil and criminal cases often collide. We help clients navigate these proceedings and win excellent results in both the civil and criminal matters. Our civil defense practice also encompasses employment actions, tort claims, antitrust and internal investigations.

Internal Investigations

Clarence & Dyer has a wealth of experience conducting internal investigations involving corporate clients, as well as quasi-public entities.  We have lead investigations relating to trade secret violations, industrial accidents, insurance contract administration and various other allegations made by whistleblowers including employment, anti-trust and securities violations.

Post-Trial and Appellate Proceedings

In post-conviction matters and on appeal, Clarence & Dyer brings a breadth of experience to our criminal and civil practice in the state and federal courts. In addition to appellate proceedings, we handle writs and appeals for clients and trial counsel who are seeking a creative, fresh perspective on a case. We file merits and amicus briefs in state and federal appellate courts throughout California and the nation, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

For example, we won significant victories in the California Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court, effectively blunting the media’s attempt to disclose case material, the publication of which threatened the substantive trial rights of our client in a notorious homicide case. Another victory came in the Ninth Circuit when we prevailed in a high-profile Fourth Amendment case involving the unlawful search of our clients’ homes. See San Jose Charter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club v. City of San Jose, et al., 402 F.3d 962 (9th Cir. 2005), cert. denied, 126 S.Ct. 796,163L.Ed.2d 627 (2005).

Consistent with our duty to represent the disempowered as well as the powerful, we take a significant number of pro bono matters, including cases on behalf of indigent defendants. We also handle habeas corpus matters and represent two death row inmates in post-conviction proceedings before the California Supreme Court and federal courts. The firm won a substantial victory on an issue of first-impression in a Ninth Circuit death penalty appeal. See Calderon v. Taylor, 134 F.3d 981 (9th Cir. 1998).

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Clarence & Dyer handles every kind of criminal case from White Collar matters to large-scale international drug conspiracies to homicide to driving under the influence, in both the state and federal courts. Our civil practice ranges from internal investigations to personal tort claims to parallel proceedings brought against businesses and individuals facing concurrent criminal investigation.