Recent Victories of Samuel D. Berns, Voted Best Local Attorney in Rocklin for a 3rd Year

I'm proud of being named best attorney in Rocklin for the third year in a row by the readers of the Placer Herald. I work hard at communication, and keep my clients up to date and informed on their legal situation. Even in the toughest cases, I can get you a favorable outcome. Sometimes that means minimizing consequences, helping people get rehabilitation from underlying drug or alcohol issues, or simply being a sounding board and a sympathetic ear when you don't have too many people on your side. But I get real satisfaction when I see my clients go free.

In one recent case, a client had been sick with Covid for a long time, with symptoms like disorientation, poor balance, memory loss, and other cognitive impairments. One day he got lost and pulled into a parking lot, and a cop contacted him. The cop - who had never seen him driving at all - did minimal investigation, and arrested him for a DUI. Several DAs and judges looked at the case and decided it should go forward, but I persisted, and turned over medical records and studies, and pointed out the holes and inconsistencies in the police investigation, and on the day the case was set for trial, the trial DA finally agreed to dismiss the case.

Another client had held a job and even owned a house in the past, but a single mistake nearly a decade ago plunged him into a spiral of depression and alcohol use, and eventually he became homeless. That's when the revolving door started - arrested, can't afford bail, plead to minor charges just to get out. Eventually, the DA wanted to send him to prison for several years - which just would have continued the spiral. Instead, I ran a motion for mental health diversion, and now, rather than continuing through the revolving door, my client will now be able to get the help that he needs, and hopefully get out of the spiral.