News – FAC Law Offices

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Traditions

So what do cowboy boots have to do with the practice of law? Well, the founder of this firm was a lawyer and cowboy. Whenever an attorney wins their first trial they are rewarded with a pair of cowboy boots. They've "earned their boots" which are proudly worn thereafter. The firm understands that only by developing top-notch trial attorneys can it deliver top-notch services to its clients. Each supervising attorney understands the importance of attorney development.

Spotlight on FAC Attorneys

Fresno & Madera CASA

"Partner of the Year"

Eric Pentell

Fresno & Madera CASA recognized the Madera Office’s Eric Pentell as its “Partner of the Year” for his terrific advocacy of minors in foster case. Eric represents minors in both Juvenile Delinquency and Dependency proceedings.

One-on-One Mentor of the Year Award Recipient

Tiffany Pack

Congratulations to the Fresno Office’s Tiffany Pack who was selected as the Mentor of the Year by Fresno Unified School District. Thank you Tiffany for the tremendous service you provide to our community.

JLC’s Mike Elder won another trial wherein the Department sked that the mother (Mike’s client) be bypassed for services. Thanks to Mike’s efforts with a huge assist from JLC’s paralegal, Heather Jamieson-Brown, the case was dismissed by the Court after the trial.

Lusine Vardanova also prevailed in a trial wherein bypass of services was recommended for the Lusine’s client, the mother.

The Fresno Office’s Taylor Pittman earned non-holding orders on all charges [PC 422 and PC 245(a)(4)]in her preliminary hearing today leading to the dismissal of the case against her client.

4/04/24

Fresno Office’s Richard Esquivel just tried a felony case and achieved a hung jury!

3/29/24

The Merced Wheel’s John Missirlian just had another great jury verdict. His client was charged with a felony PC 273.5, a felony PC 422 and a misdemeanor PC 243(e)(1). 2 prior strikes were also alleged along with the aggravating factors including multiple prior DV related convictions. Due to John’s efforts, the jury came back with NOT GUILTY on all 3 alleged counts. Though, they did hang on the lesser charge in Count 2 of PC 664/422.

3/27/24

The Fresno Office’s Tiffany Pack ran a prelim today on a client charged with attempted murder, mayhem, torture and kidnapping. Thanks to Tiffany’s work, the client was Not Held to Answer!

3/25/24

JLC’s Mike Elder prevailed on his WIC 350(c) motion at a jurisdiction/disposition hearing this past week. The Department petitioned the court to remove his client’s children from her care. Thanks to Mike’s efforts, the court ordered the children returned to his client on a plan of family maintenance.

3/25/24

Merced Wheel attorneys Kojo Moore and John Missirlian represented co-defendants in a jury trial charged with Attempted Murder, Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Shooting at a Vehicle, along with attendant gang and gun enhancements.

Jury can back with NOT GUILTY verdicts on Attempted Murder and the lesser Attempted Manslaughter. The jury hung on the Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Shooting at a Vehicle charges. Kojo’s client was convicted of the firearm possession charge. No convictions at all for John’s client.

3/07/24

Debbie Perez of the Merced Office successfully argued at the jurisdiction hearing that her 12-yer old client lacked the capacity to commit the felony vandalism he was charged with due to his age and developmental disabilities. Thus, the case was dismissed.

2/23/24

Lusine Vardanova appealed a court finding bypassing services for her client for alleged sexual abuse against his child. Well, the 5^th DCA upheld Lusine’s appeal and ordered the trial court to provide reunification services for the client.

2/09/23

Chineme Anyadiegwu prevailed in a protracted Dependency trial wherein client’s daughter was removed from his home and services were being denied due to the alleged risk of sexual abuse. Thanks to Chineme and JLC’s social worker, Yolanda King’s efforts, after trial, the case was dismissed, and the child returned to the home.

ADO’s Robert Wyrick represented the mother on Chineme’s case, and thus also prevailed at trial as the child was returned to their home.

2/09/24

Alex De La Fuente of the ADO office in Fresno just showed the value in running preliminary hearings. Her client was charged with a felony PC 594(a) and due to her thorough cross-examination of the victim, the DA’s Office moved to dismiss the case at the HTA Arraignment.

2/09/24

Peter Pacheco, also of JLC, won his trial as well. The county petitioned to terminate his client’s reunification services. However, after trial, thanks to Peter’s efforts, the judge ordered the children be returned to the client (the mother) on a family maintenance plan.

12/21/23

JLC’s Annette Smurr and Chineme Anyadiegwu worked a case together wherein Chineme prepped the case and Annette handled the trial. The county was recommending that their client be bypassed for reunification services but after prevailing on a number of the counts during trial, the judge ruled that providing reunification services to their client (the mother) would be in the best interest of the child.

12/21/23

JLC’s Lusine Vardanova and Chineme Anyadiegwu both secured terrific dispositions for their respective clients. was appointed to represent a mother while FDO’s Dennette Glenn-Boeve was appointed to the father in a detention hearing. The Department made some very serious allegations against the parents yet after the Detention Hearing and due to our attorneys’ vigorous representation, the Court found that the Department failed meet their burden by not showing reasonable efforts were made to prevent the removal of the children, specifically, that alternatives to removal were not considered. The children were returned to the parents with a safety plan of having the children reside with Lusine’s client’s aunt.

In Chineme’s case, she conducted a trial wherein it was alleged that child suffered serious harm and cruelty. The recommendation was to bypass her client completely. At the conclusion of the trial and thanks to Chineme’s efforts, the most serious allegations were found untrue and the Court ordered reunification services be provided to the client.

6/26/24

The value of doing prelims: The Merced Office’s Mark Siegel earned a Non-Holding Order on his preliminary hearing today wherein his client was charged with PC 245(a)(4).

6/17/24

Another complete acquittal after a jury trial……..The Madera Office’s Andrew Trippel earned NOT GUILTY verdicts across the board on counts of PC 211 and PC 422.

6/17/24

The Fresno Office’s Alicia Borrego and JLC’s Peter Pacheco each represented a parent at a Jurisdiction/Disposition Hearing wherein Alicia had already contested the detention. However, Alicia still objected with the argument that the evidence in the report did not support the allegations. Peter joined in the objection. The end result, somewhat to the surprise of the attorneys given the stage of the proceedings, was that the Judge agreed with their objections and dismissed the petition.

6/12/24

Leigh Fleming and Denise Hankins of the Calaveras Office co-chaired a jury trial wherein their client was charged with felony violations of PC 245(a)(2), PC 422, and PC 29800, along with a misdemeanor PC 417. The verdict? NOT GUILTY on all counts, including lessers; in other words, a straight acquittal. Their client gets to go home today.

6/10/24

The Madera Office’s Marjorie Sheldon achieved the following verdicts on her jury trial:

>> Ct. 1: PC 243(c)(1) not guilty

>> Lesser 243(b) not guilty

>> Lesser 242 not guilty

>> Ct. 2: PC 243(c)(1) guilty

>> Ct. 3: PC 243(c)(2) not guilty

>> Lesser 243 not guilty

>> Lesser 242 not guilty

>> Ct. 4: PC 69 not guilty

>> Ct. 5: PC 422 not guilty

>> Ct. 6: PC 240 not guilty

>> All felonies except the 240.

6/04/23

The Merced Office’s Mark Siegel managed to get a non-holding over on a PC 422 prelim today. Though his client was held to answer on a misdemeanor battery and vandalism, with the felony charge dismissed, the client was released form custody.

5/13/24

Callie Lindemann of the Merced Office had a gang prelim dismissed today because she just did not take the DA’s word that a police officer witness was unavailable. She asked proof of service on the officer and when that could not be produced successfully advocated for the case to be dismissed which it was.

5/08/2024