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David Harrison, Esq.

Mr. Harrison has been selected by other lawyers as a Top Lawyer – Rising Star in Southern California as published in the Los Angeles Magazine for the last three years.

Mr. Harrison graduated from the University of Southern California receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in finance. He obtained his juris doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law. Mr. Harrison has clerked for the Honorable Joseph Reichmann of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, where he spent a significant portion of his duties on habeas corpus matters. Mr. Harrison has also been employed in the New York City's District Attorneys' Office where he directed on-site police investigations and prosecuted individuals accused of crimes.

As a prosecutor, Mr. Harrison's responsibilities were diverse. He arraigned cases, determined plea deals and evaluated and argued bail conditions. Mr. Harrison understands many clients lack funds to make bail and that is why it is crucial to hire a lawyer who has the capability and experience to argue effectively and persuasively for his client, whether having the client released on his own recognizance or having the lowest bail amount possible. In determining bail, it is necessary to know the factors the judge considers into account in deciding bail status.

Mr. Harrison also worked in the Early Case Assessment Bureau of the District Attorney's Office. It was here where he determined appropriate charges to file when someone was arrested. Law enforcement commonly overcharge and it is important to have a lawyer who could argue for dismissal of these counts if the facts fail to meet the elements of a crime.

For high profile cases, Mr. Harrison would immediately visit the crime scene to investigate and gather evidence. Interviewing witnesses, victims, police officers, etc. would take place. If the defendant wished to make a statement, Mr. Harrison would mirandized him and conduct a video recorded interview. It was typical for these recordings to be played at trial for the jury. If law enforcement did not mirandized the defendant properly or if his rights for an attorney were violated any statements made by the defendant could be suppressed by the judge.

Mr. Harrison also drafted search warrants, especially for narcotic related cases. The drafting of a search warrant is crucial because if it is not done correctly any evidence from the search may be held inadmissible and thrown out by the judge.

Another area where Mr. Harrison served was presenting felony cases to the grand jury for indictment. In order for a felony to proceed against an individual, he must be held over to answer after a preliminary hearing or be indicted. A preliminary hearing is a procedure where the prosecution puts on its case in front of the judge to establish probable cause that a crime has been committed and that the defendant committed it. The prosecution could subpoena witnesses to testify and the defense attorney has the right to cross examine them. It is at this stage that a judge could determine that there is not enough evidence to proceed and dismiss the case or certain charges. Also, the preliminary hearing allows the parties to evaluate the prosecution's witnesses under oath. How a witness testifies influences any offers by the prosecution to plea out the case.

Mr. Harrison also served in the Domestic Violence Trial Unit where he prosecuted domestic violence related matters, including but not limited to husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, parent/child, and grandparent/child.

After his tenure with the District Attorney, Mr. Harrison served an in-house attorney with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter where he represented the firm from allegations by investors and regulators of stockbroker wrongdoing.

For the last 10 years, Mr. Harrison has been in private practice aggressively defending individuals who have been arrested by law enforcement.

 
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