Matthew Barhoma is a nationally recognized California trial lawyer, legal analyst, and founder of Power Trial Lawyers. He represents clients in high-stakes criminal defense and restraining order matters throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County.
Mr. Barhoma has built his reputation the hard way — inside contested courtrooms, in front of skeptical judges, and against well-resourced prosecutors. When a client’s freedom, record, family, or reputation is on the line, he brings the same intensity whether the case is a felony trial, a domestic violence restraining order hearing, or a high-profile matter attracting national press.
As Seen In
Forbes · CNN · Fox News · NBC News · Associated Press · Los Angeles Times · People · Newsweek · Business Insider · Rolling Stone · Yahoo · Daily Mail · TMZ · Law & Crime · TechNews
Matthew Barhoma is a regular legal analyst and trial commentator for national broadcast networks and has been quoted or featured in leading publications covering criminal law, high-profile prosecutions, and restraining order litigation.
Nationally Recognized Legal Analyst
Few criminal defense attorneys in California combine the courtroom track record Mr. Barhoma brings with the national media presence he has built. He has appeared as a legal analyst and expert commentator on CNN, Fox News, NBC News, and Law & Crime, breaking down live trials, cross-examination tactics, evidentiary rulings, and the strategic decisions that shape real outcomes. His written and quoted commentary has appeared in Forbes, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, People, Business Insider, Rolling Stone, Yahoo, the Daily Mail, and TMZ, among others.
For clients, this matters in concrete ways. Mr. Barhoma understands exactly how prosecutions play out in the public eye, how media narratives shape jury pools, and how to protect a client’s reputation while building a winning case inside the courtroom. In matters where press attention is a factor — and increasingly it is, even in cases that begin quietly — that experience is a genuine strategic advantage.
High-Profile Criminal Defense
Mr. Barhoma’s practice includes representation in matters that attract national attention. Most notably, he has represented Daystar Peterson, known professionally as Tory Lanez, in post-conviction proceedings arising from one of the most closely followed criminal cases in recent California history.
High-profile representation demands a specific skill set: the ability to litigate aggressively inside the courtroom while managing intense media scrutiny outside of it, the judgment to know when to speak publicly and when to stay silent, and the discipline to keep a client’s legal strategy from being driven by news cycles. Mr. Barhoma’s experience on both sides of the camera — as trial counsel in high-stakes cases and as a legal analyst covering high-profile prosecutions for national networks — gives him a rare perspective that translates directly to how he protects clients whose cases draw public attention.
Whether a matter is quiet or front-page news, the commitment is the same: prepare every case for trial, control the narrative from the beginning, and leave no argument unmade.
Mr. Barhoma has also represented high stakes executives in civil cases where material assets were at stake.
Criminal Defense Practice
As a Southern California criminal defense attorney, Mr. Barhoma defends clients against serious state and federal charges, including:
- Felony and misdemeanor offenses
- Domestic violence allegations
- Assault and battery, including PC 245(a)(1) assault with a deadly weapon
- Drug offenses, possession, and narcotics trafficking
- Theft, burglary, and fraud-related crimes
- Weapons-related charges
- White-collar and financial crime allegations
- Violent crime and strike offenses under California’s Three Strikes Law
His approach is proactive. Rather than reacting to the prosecution’s case, he works to control the narrative from the earliest stages — identifying weaknesses in the investigation, pressuring charging decisions before they harden, and preparing every case as if it will be tried.
Restraining Order Defense
Mr. Barhoma is one of the most requested restraining order defense attorneys in Southern California. He handles:
- Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVRO)
- Civil Harassment Restraining Orders (CHRO)
- Workplace Violence Restraining Orders
- Elder Abuse Restraining Orders
- Emergency Protective Orders and Temporary Restraining Orders
Restraining orders are not minor matters. A finalized order can trigger firearm prohibitions, housing consequences, professional licensing exposure, custody implications, immigration issues, and permanent reputational harm. Many restraining order cases also run parallel to criminal investigations, meaning anything said — or conceded — in the civil hearing can directly affect the criminal matter. Mr. Barhoma prepares restraining order defenses with the same rigor as criminal trials, because the stakes often are the same.
California Appellate Practice — Statewide Representation
Mr. Barhoma and Power Trial Lawyers represent clients in criminal and civil appeals throughout the entire State of California — every district of the California Court of Appeal, from the First District in San Francisco to the Fourth District in San Diego, as well as the California Supreme Court and federal habeas proceedings in the Ninth Circuit.
Appellate work is a fundamentally different discipline from trial work. Cases are won on the record, the briefs, and the oral argument. Small details — a missed objection, a jury instruction read in the wrong order, a ruling on a suppression motion that seemed minor at trial — frequently become the issues that reverse a conviction or remand a case for a new trial. Mr. Barhoma evaluates each appeal with a prosecutor’s skepticism and a trial lawyer’s eye for the moment where the case was actually decided.
The firm accepts appellate matters in every California county, including:
- Direct criminal appeals from felony and misdemeanor convictions
- Post-conviction relief and writs of habeas corpus (state and federal)
- Restraining order appeals challenging civil harassment, DVRO, and workplace violence orders
- Sentencing appeals and resentencing petitions under recent California reforms (PC 1170, PC 1172.6, and related statutes)
- Juvenile appeals and writ petitions
- Ineffective assistance of counsel claims and newly discovered evidence motions
- Civil and family-adjacent appeals arising from restraining order proceedings
Because appeals operate on strict deadlines — often as short as 60 days from judgment — the firm prioritizes fast, decisive evaluation of potential appellate issues. If you or a loved one has been convicted or received an adverse ruling anywhere in California, early contact preserves the most options.
Learn more about the firm’s appellate practice and case results.
Why Clients Choose Matthew Barhoma
Trial-tested. Mr. Barhoma does not take cases he is not prepared to try. Prosecutors and opposing counsel know this, and it changes how cases get resolved.
Strategic and narrative-driven. He builds cases backward from the courtroom, not forward from the intake meeting. Every motion, every witness, every piece of discovery is evaluated for how it will play in front of a judge or jury.
Dual-forum expertise. Because criminal defense and restraining order matters so often overlap, having one attorney who understands both forums prevents the costly mistakes that happen when a civil attorney inadvertently creates criminal exposure — or vice versa.
Appellate Experience. To be a good trial lawyer, a thorough understanding of appellate law is mandatory. Matthew Barhoma has handled many appeals before the California Court of Appeals. He has appeared nearly in every appellate district in California, and has been successful at getting cases remanded in favor of his clients.
Nationally credentialed. The same qualities that make broadcast networks trust Mr. Barhoma to analyze high-profile trials in real time — clarity, command of the law, courtroom instinct — are what clients get when they retain him.
Relentless. Clients consistently describe him as responsive, prepared, and genuinely invested in the outcome.
Areas Served
Mr. Barhoma represents clients across Southern California, including:
- Los Angeles County: Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Compton, Pasadena, Long Beach, Pomona, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Glendale, Burbank
- Orange County: Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Anaheim, Irvine, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Westminster
- Riverside County: Riverside, Murrieta, Temecula, Indio, Corona, Moreno Valley
- San Bernardino County: San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville, Fontana, Ontario
- San Diego County: San Diego, Vista, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Oceanside
He regularly appears in criminal courthouses and restraining order departments throughout these jurisdictions, including the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Van Nuys Courthouse, Santa Ana Justice Center, Riverside Hall of Justice, San Bernardino Justice Center, and San Diego Central Courthouse.
Selected Results
While past results do not guarantee future outcomes, they reflect the caliber of defense Mr. Barhoma is retained to provide.
- Felony charges dismissed prior to preliminary hearing following targeted motion practice
- DVRO denied after contested hearing, preserving client’s firearm rights and custody standing
- Strike allegation stricken under Romero motion, avoiding mandatory state prison exposure
- Civil harassment restraining order vacated on appeal
- Drug trafficking case reduced to simple possession with diversion eligibility
- Domestic violence charges reduced to a non-DV disposition with no stay-away order
See more outcomes on our Case Results page.
Client Philosophy
Mr. Barhoma takes a limited number of cases by design. Every client gets the attorney they hired — not a handoff to a junior associate, not a revolving door of paralegals. He believes serious representation means direct communication, honest assessments, and a clear strategy from day one.
If you are facing criminal charges or a restraining order, what happens in the first forty-eight hours often shapes the rest of the case. Early intervention — before statements are given, before hearings occur, before the prosecution builds its narrative — is the single most important factor in the best outcomes he has secured for clients.
Education
- California Western School of Law — J.D.
- University of California, Irvine — B.A.
Professional & Bar Association Memberships
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- California Lawyers Association
- San Diego County Bar Association
- State Bar of California
- Admitted: All California State Courts; United States Federal Districts
Frequently Asked Questions
Do not contact the other party — not by text, phone, social media, or through a third party. Violating even a temporary order can result in criminal charges. Gather all communications, documents, and witnesses before memory fades, and retain a restraining order defense attorney immediately. You typically have a short window — often less than three weeks — before the contested hearing.
Yes, and in most cases it is strongly preferable. Domestic violence restraining orders and criminal domestic violence charges frequently run in parallel, and what happens in one forum directly affects the other. An attorney who handles both avoids the costly mistakes that occur when different lawyers coordinate across forums.
Before you speak to them. Detectives are trained interviewers, and “just a conversation” is often the most damaging moment in a case. If police have contacted you, you are not a witness — you are a subject. Retain counsel first.
Yes. He regularly represents clients throughout Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County, and handles select matters statewide and in federal court.
Three things: courtroom credibility built through trial work, national media recognition as a legal analyst on CNN, Fox News, and NBC, and the rare combination of criminal defense and restraining order expertise under one roof.
Yes. The firm represents clients in criminal, restraining order, and post-conviction appeals throughout all of California — every appellate district, the California Supreme Court, and federal habeas proceedings. If a conviction or adverse ruling occurred anywhere in the state, the firm can evaluate the appeal.
Contact Power Trial Lawyers
If you or someone you love is facing criminal charges or a restraining order anywhere in Southern California, do not wait. Speak with Mr. Barhoma directly about your case.
- Free Consultation
- Available 24/7
- Call: (888) 808-2179
Education
- California Western School of Law - J.D.
- University of California, Irvine - B.A.
Professional & Bar Association Memberships
- Los Angeles Bar Association
- California Bar Association
- San Diego Bar Association
Client Reviews
Matthew is the most knowledgeable lawyer. I have worked with teams of lawyers and none of them were as knowledgeable and prompt as Matthew. I trust all of my company’s legal affairs with Matthew. He makes me rest easy knowing he is on it.
Matthew is the epitome of hard work and dedication, when it comes to his work. Matthew has helped me with all my contractual work needed to help me launch my start up. Matthew is honest, diligent and relentless.
Matthew was very responsive and caring for my case. He handled my case with efficiency and made sure to secure exactly what we wanted. He has represented my company previously and when we needed a lawyer, it was no question – we phoned Matthew!
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