The Challenge
A licensed therapist was charged with domestic violence after an alleged incident on a military base. Because a military base is federal property, the case went to federal court. The prosecutor was the U.S. Attorney’s Office, not the county District Attorney. The stakes were high. Any domestic violence conviction, even a misdemeanor, brings a permanent criminal record and a lifetime federal firearms ban. For a licensed therapist, it also means a report to the licensing board and the likely loss of her license. Her career depended on the outcome.
Our Strategy
We focused on the facts of the case. The allegations contained inconsistencies, and we documented each of them. We presented that record to the federal prosecutors before the case advanced, together with the disproportionate consequences a conviction would have for our client’s career. On that basis, we requested a dismissal. The U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed and dismissed the charges. Our client was left with no conviction and no criminal record, and her professional license was preserved.
The Result
CASE DISMISSED; LICENSE PROTECTED
Your Case Belongs at the Southwest Justice Center.
Your Defense Belongs Here.
If you were arrested in Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Winchester, or French Valley, your future will likely be decided at the Southwest Justice Center (SWJC) on Auld Road. In these courtrooms, local knowledge is the ultimate advantage. Since 1999, Nic Cocis has been a weekly fixture in the SWJC, appearing before the same judges and negotiating with the same Riverside County prosecutors for over 25 years. We don’t just know the law — we know the specific nuances, procedural quirks, and judicial tendencies of the Southwest District. Whether you are facing a felony or a misdemeanor, you need a firm that treats the Southwest Justice Center as its home turf.
