Attorney Michael Kern Bio
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I attended the University of California, Davis, where I received my B.A. in Political Science in 2000. In 2001, I moved to San Diego and was accepted to California Western School of Law. California Western School of Law is one of the few law schools nationally that has a clinical program dedicated to releasing wrongfully convicted inmates. This program, the California Innocence Project, was one of the reasons I chose to attend Cal Western. I graduated law school in 2004, and opened my criminal defense practice that same year.
I was attracted to the practice of law because I felt many attorneys had become quite distant, unapproachable, and not necessarily there to help their clients. When I opened my practice in 2004, I wanted to emphasize personal access.
I want my clients to feel comfortable approaching me and asking probative questions about their case. I want my clients to have the ability to contact my office via phone, email, text and/or Facebook. I am there for my clients, and I listen very carefully so I can address their specific concerns.
My area of expertise is criminal law, with an emphasis on drug related crimes.
I chose this area of law because I feel that drug laws have become too punitive, and I knew this would be an area of law that I could have the biggest impact on my client's cases and lives.
Because I specialize in drug crimes, I am able to dedicate my entire practice to this area, instead of spreading myself over different areas of the law. This benefits my clients: I am not preoccupied with family law, civil law, or other areas of law. My clients receive dedicated, focused, and experienced representation.
My approach to the practice of law is the following:
- I educate and inform my clients about the law as it applies to their case.
- I offer an honest evaluation of my client's case, as well as potential defenses and possible outcomes.
- I provide a zealous representation on their behalf focused on getting the best result based on my client's goals and objectives.
It is important to understand that the government will never run out of resources to prosecute a case. A vigorous criminal defense is mandated by the United States Constitution. I work every day on behalf of my clients with those two thoughts in mind.
Since 2004, I have been involved in every aspect of criminal law: misdemeanors, felonies, bail issues, arraignments, settlement conferences, preliminary hearings, pretrial motions, trial motions, jury trials, bench trials, post-trial motions, sentencing and expungements.
My clients receive representation that they cannot find elsewhere.
I am an attorney that has the time, experience, and resources to dedicate exclusively to their case. Because I am in private practice, I can control which cases I decide to take, and which cases I decline. That is, I will not take on a case that I cannot dedicate the requisite time to defend zealously.
I know how to relate to my clients, and I understand my clients on a level that goes beyond just being their attorney. I understand that my clients may have children, a spouse, a partner, an ex-spouse, a job, loss of a job, or other issues in their lives that go beyond their legal case.
I do not take every potential client that seeks to retain my law office. I try to understand exactly what my client's expectations are, their goals with respect to their legal case, and how I can help achieve those goals. I do not treat my clients like criminals; I treat them like people facing a very difficult legal situation. I am there to help them navigate a very complex legal world and provide a dedicated defense of their case.
I do not promise a not guilty verdict on every case. I do not promise or guarantee that every case will be dismissed. What I do promise and guarantee is that I will work extremely hard on my client's case to obtain the best legal outcome. I have had many cases dismissed, and I have received not guilty verdicts. However, I do not make false promises or guarantees on the outcome of cases because each case and every client is unique.
As a former teacher at local universities, I am well educated on current law, new law, and I understand the nuances that separate experienced from inexperienced attorneys.
Every year, I attend legal seminars that provide the most up-to-date information on criminal law and criminal procedure, which help sharpen my focus and ability to defend clients. Furthermore, as a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), I am constantly reading and learning about information that allows me to provide the best representation on behalf of my clients.
San Diego has been my home since 2001. I am married with children. I enjoy vacationing with my family, staying physically active, and keeping up with my favorite baseball, football and basketball teams.