Practice Areas: Restraining Order Defense, Criminal Defense, and Appeals in Southern California

Power Trial Lawyers is a Southern California defense firm with three practice areas: restraining order defense, criminal defense, and appeals. Founded by attorney Matthew Barhoma, Esq., the firm represents respondents who have been served with a restraining order, defendants who have been charged with a crime, and litigants who need a restraining order or a criminal conviction reviewed by the California Court of Appeal. From offices at 835 Wilshire Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles and 695 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, we appear in every superior court in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County, and in all six districts of the Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court. We do not represent petitioners. We do not prosecute. We defend.

This page is the index to everything the firm does. Each section below describes a practice area, explains what is at stake, and links to the detailed pages where the law, the procedure, and the defense strategy are set out in full. If you are facing a deadline right now, call (888) 808-2179. The firm answers 24 hours a day.

Restraining Order Defense

Restraining order defense is the largest practice at Power Trial Lawyers and the reason most clients find us. A restraining order is a civil court order that prohibits the respondent from contacting, approaching, or harassing the petitioner, and it is issued on a timeline that gives the respondent almost no room to react. The petitioner files a form petition and a declaration; a judge reads the papers the same day or the next and, without hearing from the respondent, decides whether to issue a Temporary Restraining Order; the TRO takes effect the moment it is served; and a hearing follows roughly three weeks later at which a judge decides whether to issue an order that can last up to five years. Because the TRO is granted on the petitioner’s papers alone, that hearing is the respondent’s first and often only chance to be heard. Our restraining order defense page is the pillar for this practice; the pages below cover each type of order, each stage of the case, and each courthouse.

The consequences of losing are concrete. A restraining order issued after hearing is entered into CLETS, the statewide law enforcement database, and surfaces on firearm background checks and in many employment, licensing, housing, and immigration contexts. The respondent must surrender all firearms and ammunition, generally within 24 hours of service, and may not possess them while the order is in effect. A Domestic Violence Restraining Order triggers a presumption under Family Code section 3044 against awarding custody to the restrained parent. The consequences of a restraining order and how a restraining order affects employment are addressed in depth on their own pages.

Power Trial Lawyers treats the hearing as a trial. We obtain the petition and exhibits immediately, interview the respondent in detail, assemble the text messages, call logs, photographs, video, location data, and witnesses that the petitioner left out, prepare a responsive declaration on the correct Judicial Council form, subpoena records where the timeline allows, and prepare the respondent to testify and withstand cross-examination. How to fight a restraining order in California, the evidence that wins restraining order hearings, and using witnesses at a restraining order hearing describe the method.

Domestic Violence Restraining Order Defense

A Domestic Violence Restraining Order, or DVRO, is issued under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, Family Code section 6200 and following, against a spouse or former spouse, a cohabitant or former cohabitant, a dating partner, a co-parent, or a close relative. “Abuse” under Family Code section 6203 reaches well beyond physical violence: it includes threats, harassment, stalking, repeated unwanted contact, and, since 2021, “disturbing the peace,” which the Legislature defined to include coercive control. The petitioner’s burden is a preponderance of the evidence. A DVRO after hearing can last up to five years, is renewable, and carries the firearm prohibition, the CLETS entry, and the custody presumption described above.

Power Trial Lawyers defends Domestic Violence Restraining Orders in the family law departments of every Southern California county. DVRO petitions frequently arrive in the middle of a divorce or custody dispute, and our defense begins with the question the judge must answer: did the specific conduct alleged actually happen, and does it meet the statutory definition of abuse? We compare the declaration to the contemporaneous record, and we hold the petitioner to the statute where the allegation is coercive control, which requires a pattern of conduct that unreasonably interferes with free will, not ordinary conflict in a failing relationship. Dedicated pages address false DVRO allegations, the domestic violence temporary restraining order, permanent DVRO defense, DVRO violation defense under Penal Code section 273.6, how a DVRO affects child custody, and motions to modify or terminate a DVRO under Family Code section 6345. Our Los Angeles DVRO defense page covers local practice.

Civil Harassment Restraining Order Defense

A Civil Harassment Restraining Order, or CHRO, under Code of Civil Procedure section 527.6 is the order used when the parties are not in a domestic relationship: neighbors, former friends, coworkers outside the employment setting, landlords and tenants, ex-partners who never lived together, and strangers. The statute requires unlawful violence, a credible threat of violence, or a knowing and willful course of conduct that seriously alarms, annoys, or harasses the petitioner, serves no legitimate purpose, would cause a reasonable person substantial emotional distress, and actually did so. Constitutionally protected activity is excluded. A CHRO after hearing requires clear and convincing evidence, a materially higher standard than a DVRO, and the prevailing party may recover attorney’s fees. A CHRO can last up to five years and is renewable.

Power Trial Lawyers defends Civil Harassment Restraining Orders throughout Southern California. CHRO cases turn on the statutory elements: a single incident is not a course of conduct, protected speech is not harassment, and contact with a legitimate purpose does not qualify. We identify the element the petitioner cannot prove by clear and convincing evidence and build the hearing around it. The firm has particular depth in neighbor restraining order disputes, stalking-based restraining order allegations, and restraining orders based on social media. Local pages cover the Los Angeles civil harassment restraining order lawyer, Orange County civil harassment restraining orders, and the Orange County civil harassment restraining order lawyer, and our guide to civil harassment restraining orders in California walks through the statute section by section.

Workplace Violence Restraining Order Defense

A Workplace Violence Restraining Order, or WVRO, is filed by an employer under Code of Civil Procedure section 527.8 on behalf of an employee who has allegedly suffered unlawful violence or a credible threat of violence that could reasonably be carried out at the workplace. The respondent is usually a current or former employee, a customer, or a contractor; the standard is clear and convincing evidence; and an order can last up to three years. Because the petitioner is a company with counsel and resources, and because the petition often accompanies a termination, a WVRO can end a career.

Power Trial Lawyers defends Workplace Violence Restraining Orders for respondents across the region, including allegations of violence between coworkers. Section 527.8 does not authorize an order based on speech that is not a credible threat, on conduct that is part of a labor dispute, or on a disagreement that never involved violence. We obtain the HR file and surveillance, scrutinize the internal investigation, and examine whether the petition was filed to justify a termination after the fact or to head off a wrongful termination claim. Our Los Angeles workplace violence restraining order page addresses local practice.

Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Order Defense

An Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Order, or EARO, is issued under Welfare and Institutions Code section 15657.03 to protect a person 65 or older, or a dependent adult, from physical abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment, isolation, or abduction. The petition is often filed not by the elder but by a relative, a conservator, a trustee, or Adult Protective Services, and the respondent is usually an adult child, a caregiver, a sibling, or a spouse. The standard is a preponderance of the evidence, an order can last up to five years, and the financial abuse provisions allow a court to restrain the respondent from the elder’s property and accounts.

Power Trial Lawyers defends elder abuse restraining orders throughout Southern California, including Los Angeles elder abuse restraining order matters. These cases sit at the intersection of family conflict, estate disputes, and caregiving, and are frequently filed by one sibling against another in a fight over a parent’s care or money. We examine capacity, the elder’s own stated wishes, the legitimacy of the transactions the petition calls “financial abuse,” the medical record, and the petitioner’s financial interest in the outcome.

Gun Violence Restraining Order Defense

A Gun Violence Restraining Order, or GVRO, is California’s “red flag” order under Penal Code section 18100 and following. It requires no relationship between the parties and does not restrain contact; it prohibits the respondent from owning, possessing, purchasing, or receiving firearms and ammunition and orders immediate surrender. A GVRO may be sought by a law enforcement officer, an immediate family member, an employer, a coworker, or a school employee, and a court may issue a temporary emergency or ex parte GVRO before the respondent is heard. An order after hearing requires clear and convincing evidence of a significant danger and that less restrictive alternatives are inadequate, and lasts one to five years, renewable.

Power Trial Lawyers defends Gun Violence Restraining Orders, including emergency GVROs obtained by police, GVRO petitions filed by family members, and GVRO petitions filed by employers. These petitions are often built on a single statement taken out of context, a mental health contact that resolved, or a family member’s fear rather than any act, and the statute lists the factors a court must weigh. We build the hearing around those factors, with firearms and mental health professionals where appropriate. A GVRO also reaches into the firm’s criminal practice: possession in violation of a GVRO is a crime, and a GVRO finding can surface in later DVRO or criminal proceedings.

Criminal Protective Orders, School Violence Orders, and Repeat Violence Orders

When a domestic violence, stalking, or criminal threats charge is filed, the criminal court issues a Criminal Protective Order under Penal Code section 136.2 at arraignment, usually a full no-contact order that overrides any conflicting family court order while the case is pending. Power Trial Lawyers defends Criminal Protective Orders, moves to modify them to peaceful-contact orders where the parties share children or a home, and manages the interaction between the CPO, a pending DVRO, and the criminal case. We also defend school violence restraining orders under Code of Civil Procedure section 527.85, including school violence restraining orders filed against students and staff, and repeat violence restraining orders. Every type of restraining order in Los Angeles County and every type in Orange County are catalogued on their own pages.

The Restraining Order Process: TRO, Hearing, Service, and Continuances

A restraining order case can be won before the facts are ever reached. A TRO is not enforceable, and a hearing cannot proceed, unless the respondent was properly and personally served within the time the court ordered; service by mail, through a roommate, or by text message is not service. A respondent is entitled to one continuance as of right to prepare, and the court must reissue the TRO on the same terms if it grants one. A petition that pleads conduct outside the statute can be challenged on its face. Power Trial Lawyers reviews every case for these issues first.

How restraining orders work in California explains each stage from petition to renewal. What to expect when served with a restraining order covers the first 72 hours, and improper service of a restraining order explains how to challenge defective service. The temporary restraining order hearing and the permanent restraining order hearing cover the two court dates that decide the case, and our Los Angeles pages on the temporary restraining order and permanent restraining orders address how the local departments run those calendars.

False Restraining Order Violation Claims

Once an order is in place, the petitioner controls the narrative of compliance. An accidental encounter in a grocery store, a message routed through a mutual friend, a social media post, or a call the petitioner placed and the respondent answered can be reported as a violation, and a violation is a crime under Penal Code section 273.6 that can be charged even when the underlying order was improvidently granted. Power Trial Lawyers defends false and exaggerated restraining order violation claims in both the criminal court and the civil court, where a claimed violation is frequently used to support renewal or an expanded order.

Where We Defend Restraining Orders

The firm appears in restraining order departments across Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County. Each courthouse runs its restraining order calendar differently, and knowing how a particular department handles continuances, evidence, and testimony is part of the defense. In Los Angeles County, we appear most often at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, where the majority of civil harassment petitions are heard; the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, where Criminal Protective Orders issue; the Long Beach Courthouse, with a Long Beach restraining order attorney page and a Long Beach restraining order defense page covering that courthouse; and the Whittier Courthouse. Our Los Angeles restraining order defense page covers the remaining Los Angeles County courthouses. In Orange County, we appear at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana and the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange, and we serve Yorba Linda and the rest of the county from our Costa Mesa office; our Orange County restraining order defense attorney page addresses local practice.

Criminal Defense

Power Trial Lawyers defends criminal charges, misdemeanor and felony, in every courthouse in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County. The criminal practice shares a foundation with the restraining order practice: the same allegations that produce a DVRO petition produce a domestic violence charge; a restraining order creates a firearm prohibition that becomes a gun case; a claimed restraining order violation becomes a prosecution under Penal Code section 273.6. Defending both sides of that overlap with one strategy, rather than two lawyers who never talk, is the firm’s defining advantage.

The most valuable window in a criminal case is often the one before charges are filed. A detective’s call, a request to “come in and give your side,” or a search warrant means a case is being built. Power Trial Lawyers intervenes at the pre-filing stage to communicate with investigators on the client’s behalf, present exculpatory evidence and context to the filing deputy, arrange a voluntary surrender in place of an arrest, and, in a meaningful share of cases, persuade the prosecutor not to file at all. Warrants in California, what to do when arrested or facing charges, and our warrants FAQ explain the first hours.

Domestic Violence Defense

Domestic violence is the criminal charge most closely tied to the firm’s restraining order practice, and the one in which coordinated defense matters most. A 911 call leads to an arrest, an Emergency Protective Order, a filing decision within days, a Criminal Protective Order at arraignment, and, often, a DVRO petition in family court reciting the same allegations. Power Trial Lawyers defends domestic violence charges including corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant under Penal Code section 273.5, domestic battery under Penal Code section 243(e)(1), criminal threats under Penal Code section 422, false imprisonment under Penal Code sections 236 and 237, stalking, and violation of a protective order under Penal Code section 166.

Prosecutors in California do not dismiss a domestic violence case because the complaining witness recants; they proceed on the 911 recording, body-worn camera footage, and photographs. The defense turns on the evidence: injuries inconsistent with the account, a complaining witness whose statements have changed, a mutual argument, defensive contact, and intoxication or motive that colors the original report. The seven defenses used in domestic abuse cases, the domestic violence arrest and investigation process, domestic violence sentencing and penalties, and our comprehensive guide to California domestic violence charges cover the details. Because a conviction carries a firearm prohibition, a 52-week batterer’s program, immigration consequences, and a record that follows every custody dispute, the goal in every case is a dismissal, a non-filing, or a resolution that avoids a domestic violence conviction. We handle these cases in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Long Beach. Our domestic violence overview collects the related guides.

DUI Defense

A DUI arrest starts two cases at once: the criminal prosecution under Vehicle Code section 23152, and a DMV administrative action that will suspend the driver’s license unless a hearing is requested within 10 days. Power Trial Lawyers handles both. Our DUI defense practice covers alcohol and drug DUI, felony and injury DUI under section 23153, DUI arrests and what follows them, chemical test refusals, the DMV hearing, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated under Penal Code section 191.5(a), and vehicular manslaughter under Penal Code section 191.5(b). Related driving offenses, including felony hit and run with injury under Vehicle Code section 20001, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, and misdemeanor hit and run, and felony evading police under Penal Code section 2800.2, are handled by the same team.

DUI cases are won on the details: the legality of the stop, the administration of field sobriety tests, the calibration and timing of the breath or blood test, rising blood alcohol, and the chain of custody. We defend DUI charges in Los Angeles County, with courthouse-specific pages for the Metropolitan Courthouse, the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, the LAX Courthouse, Van Nuys, Long Beach, Compton, and Pomona; in Orange County, at the Central Justice Center, Harbor Justice Center, North Justice Center, West Justice Center, and in Laguna Niguel; and in Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County.

Drug Possession, Sales, and Manufacturing

Power Trial Lawyers defends drug possession charges and drug crimes involving possession, sale, and manufacturing of controlled substances, including sale or transportation of a controlled substance under Health and Safety Code section 11352. Simple possession is a misdemeanor in most cases, but possession for sale, transportation, and manufacturing are felonies that carry prison exposure and immigration consequences, and the line between “possession” and “possession for sale” is frequently drawn by an officer’s opinion about packaging, cash, or quantity rather than by any sale. Most drug cases rise or fall on the legality of the stop, the search, and the seizure, and the firm litigates suppression motions wherever the Fourth Amendment record supports one. Where suppression is not available, diversion, drug court, and treatment-based resolutions can keep a conviction off the record. We handle these cases throughout the region, including drug possession charges in Long Beach.

Firearm and Weapons Charges

California prosecutes firearm offenses aggressively, and a large share of them arise from a restraining order. A person subject to a DVRO, CHRO, or GVRO who is found with a firearm faces charges under Penal Code section 29825; a person with a prior felony faces felon in possession under Penal Code section 29800 or possession by a person convicted of a violent felony under Penal Code section 29900. Power Trial Lawyers defends firearm and weapons charges and gun possession cases including carrying a concealed firearm under Penal Code section 25400, carrying a loaded firearm in public under Penal Code section 25850, assault weapon possession under Penal Code section 30605, possession of a firearm with intent to commit a felony under Penal Code section 17500, possession of a silencer under Penal Code section 33410, brandishing under Penal Code section 417(a)(2), negligent discharge under Penal Code section 246.3, shooting at an unoccupied vehicle or building under Penal Code section 247(b), and firearm sentencing enhancements under Penal Code sections 12022.5 and 12022.53. Our firearm offenses overview and California firearm violation laws explain the statutory scheme, and our Orange County gun possession page addresses local practice. Where the charge is possession in violation of a restraining order, we examine whether the order was validly served, whether the relinquishment deadline had run, and whether the firearm was actually within the client’s dominion and control.

Assault, Battery, and Violent Crimes

Power Trial Lawyers defends violent crime charges across the full range of the Penal Code, as described in our overview of violent crimes in California: simple assault under Penal Code section 240, assault generally, battery under Penal Code section 242, including battery charges in Los Angeles and Orange County, battery with serious bodily injury under Penal Code section 243(d), assault with a deadly weapon under Penal Code section 245(a)(1), assault on a public official under Penal Code section 217(a), robbery under Penal Code section 211, carjacking under Penal Code section 215, attempted murder under Penal Code sections 664 and 187, voluntary manslaughter under Penal Code section 192(a), involuntary manslaughter under Penal Code section 192(b), murder in each of its degrees, and cases carrying gang enhancements and strike allegations. Many violent crime cases are self-defense cases. California does not require a person to retreat before using reasonable force, the prosecution must disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt, and the firm builds that defense from the first interview forward with witnesses, video, injury patterns, and expert testimony where warranted. Local pages cover assault charges in Long Beach and violent crime charges in Long Beach.

Theft, Sex Crimes, and Other Charges

The firm also defends theft crimes, including petty theft, grand theft, and embezzlement, grand theft auto under Penal Code section 487(d)(1), and burglary under Penal Code section 459; sex crime allegations, where the consequences include lifetime registration; conspiracy, with a conspiracy FAQ; and public intoxication, open container, and alcohol-related offenses, including public intoxication under Penal Code section 647(f). The firm has a dedicated practice in criminal defense for licensed professionals, including physicians, for whom a criminal filing is also a licensing matter, and we handle misdemeanor charges in Orange County and throughout the region. Our California Penal Code guide explains individual statutes in detail.

The Criminal Process, From Arrest to Sentencing

Once a case is filed, the firm handles every stage. Our overview of the criminal process in California and how the criminal court process works walk through what to expect, as do our pages on felony, misdemeanor, and wobbler charges and the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor. Specific stages are covered on their own pages: arraignments in California, including Los Angeles arraignments, arraignment in Department 30 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, and arraignment at the Airport Courthouse; California’s criminal bail system and how bail bonds work; warrants, bail, and court motions; preliminary hearings in Los Angeles; plea deals in California; and sentence reduction using mitigating factors. After a case ends, we pursue expungement and other record relief.

Where We Defend Criminal Cases

The firm appears in every criminal courthouse in the region, including the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, the Airport Courthouse, and the Van Nuys, Long Beach, Compton, Pasadena, Torrance, Norwalk, Pomona, and San Fernando courthouses in Los Angeles County; the Central Justice Center, Harbor Justice Center, North Justice Center, and West Justice Center in Orange County; the Riverside Hall of Justice, Southwest Justice Center, and Larson Justice Center in Riverside County; and the San Bernardino Justice Center and the Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville, and Fontana courthouses in San Bernardino County. Our Orange County criminal defense, Orange County criminal defense lawyers, and Long Beach criminal defense pages describe local practice, and our communities served index lists every area.

Appeals: Restraining Order Appeals and Criminal Appeals

Power Trial Lawyers is one of the few Southern California firms that litigates restraining order hearings and criminal trials and then argues the appeals in the same Courts of Appeal. The appellate practice has two halves, restraining order appeals and criminal appeals, and both are built on the same discipline: a trial-level record preserved with an appeal in mind, and appellate briefing by lawyers who know what the trial court actually did. Our criminal appeals page is the pillar for this practice.

Restraining Order Appeals

A restraining order issued after a noticed hearing is an appealable order. Code of Civil Procedure section 904.1, subdivision (a)(6), permits an appeal from an order granting an injunction, and California courts have consistently treated DVROs, CHROs, WVROs, and elder abuse orders issued after hearing as falling within that provision. A notice of appeal must generally be filed within 60 days of service of the notice of entry of the order, and the deadline cannot be extended. The Court of Appeal reviews the decision to issue the order for abuse of discretion, reviews the factual findings for substantial evidence, and reviews legal questions, such as whether the conduct alleged falls within the statute or whether the trial court applied the correct burden of proof, de novo. Orders issued without proper notice, orders that restrain constitutionally protected speech, orders based on a misreading of the statutory definitions, orders that exceed the relief requested, and orders issued after the respondent was denied a fair opportunity to present evidence are recurring grounds for reversal. Renewal orders and orders denying a motion to terminate are themselves appealable, and errors at the TRO stage, which is not itself appealable, can be challenged by petition for writ of mandate.

Power Trial Lawyers appeals restraining orders throughout the California Court of Appeal. That capability shapes the hearing itself: we make the objections, offer the evidence, request the findings, and preserve the issues that an appellate court will need to see. It also means a respondent who lost a hearing with other counsel can retain the firm to evaluate whether the order should be reversed.

Criminal Appeals

A criminal appeal is not a new trial; it is a review of the trial court record for legal error, and it must be started by a notice of appeal filed within 60 days of judgment in a felony case and 30 days in a misdemeanor case. Power Trial Lawyers is a California criminal appeals firm that represents defendants in all six districts of the Court of Appeal and in the California Supreme Court. We handle criminal appeals in California at every stage: appealing a felony conviction, filing a direct criminal appeal after sentencing, appeals after a guilty plea under Penal Code section 1237.5, bail pending appeal under Penal Code section 1271.1, motions for new trial under Penal Code section 1181, and motions to overturn a conviction before trial and on appeal. The California criminal appeals process explains each step from the notice of appeal through oral argument, how to draft a successful appellate brief explains the writing, and overturning your conviction explains the remedies.

The firm’s appellate record is public. In one matter, the Court of Appeal vacated the sentence and remanded under Penal Code section 1170(b)(6); in another, it reversed a trial court’s denial of relief under Penal Code section 1172.75 and vacated the sentence. Our analysis of People v. Shaw, the California Supreme Court’s 2025 resentencing decision, shows how the firm tracks the law as it moves. Appellate pages cover Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego, with community pages for Orange County criminal appeals and Long Beach criminal appeals.

Writs of Habeas Corpus and Resentencing

Where the direct appeal is unavailable or the error lies outside the record, the firm files petitions for writ of habeas corpus in state and federal court. Our pages explain how to win a writ of habeas corpus, California petitions for writ of habeas corpus, the procedure for a California writ, proving a prima facie case, the order to show cause, and the traverse. The grounds we litigate most often are ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, new and additional evidence, factual innocence, and sufficiency of the evidence; common arguments to overturn convictions surveys the rest.

The firm also has a substantial resentencing practice under California’s reform statutes, and multiple murder convictions have been vacated and multiple clients released on its petitions. That work includes Penal Code section 1172.6 petitions under SB 1437 for felony murder and natural and probable consequences convictions, as expanded by SB 775 (what SB 775 means for California inmates); Penal Code section 1172.75 petitions under SB 483 for invalid prison priors; recall and resentencing under Penal Code section 1172.1 and AB 600, with a companion page on the statute; prosecutor-initiated resentencing under AB 2942 and AB 1540; enhancement dismissals under Penal Code section 1385 as amended by SB 81; sentencing relief under AB 124 and SB 567, with a page on SB 567 itself; firearm enhancement relief under AB 1509; AB 960 compassionate release; SB 300 special circumstance relief; Penal Code section 1170(d)(2) and Penal Code section 1170.126 Three Strikes resentencing; motions to modify a sentence; Penal Code section 1473.7 motions to vacate for immigration consequences; commutation of sentence; and life without the possibility of parole cases. Our indexes of Assembly Bills and Senate Bills track every reform statute the firm litigates.

Why Southern California Turns to Power Trial Lawyers

Matthew Barhoma has been licensed to practice law in California since 2017 and has spent nearly nine years practicing almost exclusively on the defense side of the courtroom. He is admitted to all California state courts and to the United States District Courts in California, and has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Lawyers of Distinction, and Avvo, including the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award. National and Los Angeles media turn to him when they need a defense lawyer to explain what is happening inside a courtroom: he has been quoted by Fox News, CNN, Forbes, and the Associated Press on some of the most closely watched prosecutions of the decade, has appeared as a legal analyst on CNN, Fox News, NBC News, Court TV, KTLA 5, ABC7, and the Law & Crime Trial Network, and the firm’s own cases have been covered by the Los Angeles Times, ABC7, NBC News, People, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and the Daily Journal. When a Compton man who had served 27 years for a robbery he always denied walked out of prison, it was because the firm reopened the case and won resentencing to time served. When one of the most closely watched criminal cases in Los Angeles moved into its final phase, the client retained the firm. High-profile clients choose Power Trial Lawyers because it handles pressure, publicity, and complex records without losing sight of the only thing that matters: the result. Learn more about our firm and our team.

Those same skills are applied to every restraining order hearing and every criminal case the firm accepts. Our case results include restraining orders denied and dismissed, criminal charges dismissed outright, prosecutors persuaded not to file, and murder convictions vacated. Our client reviews describe what it is like to be represented by a firm that returns calls, prepares, and shows up ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which practice area does my case fall under? If you have been served with a Temporary Restraining Order or a petition on a DV-100, CH-100, WV-100, EA-100, or GV-100 form, it is a restraining order case. If you have been arrested, cited, contacted by a detective, or charged in criminal court, it is a criminal case. If a judge has already issued a restraining order against you after a hearing, or you have already been convicted or sentenced, it is an appeal. Many clients have two of these at once, most often a DVRO petition and a domestic violence charge arising from the same incident, and the firm handles both under one strategy.

Does Power Trial Lawyers represent petitioners who want a restraining order? No. The firm represents respondents only. That focus is deliberate: it means every restraining order case the firm handles is a defense case, and the firm’s experience with how petitions are drafted, how hearings are run, and how judges decide is applied entirely to the respondent’s side.

How quickly do I need to act after being served with a restraining order? Immediately. The hearing is typically set about three weeks after the TRO issues, and the responsive declaration, evidence, and witnesses must be ready before then. A respondent is entitled to one continuance to prepare, but the TRO stays in effect during the continuance, so delay has a cost.

Do I have to surrender my firearms if a Temporary Restraining Order is issued against me? If the TRO is a DVRO, CHRO, WVRO, elder abuse order, or GVRO with a firearms provision, yes. Firearms and ammunition must be surrendered, generally within 24 hours of service, to law enforcement or a licensed dealer, with proof filed with the court within 48 hours. Possessing a firearm while a qualifying order is in effect is a crime under Penal Code section 29825 and under federal law.

Can I appeal a restraining order? Yes. A restraining order issued after hearing is an appealable order under Code of Civil Procedure section 904.1, subdivision (a)(6), and the notice of appeal must generally be filed within 60 days of service of notice of entry of the order. Power Trial Lawyers handles restraining order appeals in the California Court of Appeal.

Can I be prosecuted for domestic violence if the alleged victim does not want to press charges? Yes. In California, the prosecutor decides whether to file and whether to proceed, and cases are routinely tried on the 911 call, body-worn camera footage, photographs, and officer testimony even when the complaining witness recants or does not appear.

What happens to my license after a DUI arrest? The DMV will suspend it automatically unless a hearing is requested within 10 days of the arrest. That hearing is separate from the criminal case and has its own evidence and standards. The firm requests the hearing and handles it alongside the criminal charge.

What is the difference between drug possession and possession for sale? Simple possession is generally a misdemeanor and is often eligible for diversion. Possession for sale is a felony and depends on the prosecutor proving an intent to sell, usually through an officer’s opinion about quantity, packaging, scales, or cash. Whether the evidence supports that inference, and whether the search that produced it was lawful, are the two questions on which most of these cases are decided.

How long do I have to appeal a criminal conviction in California? A notice of appeal must be filed within 60 days of the judgment in a felony case and 30 days in a misdemeanor case. The deadline is jurisdictional. If it has passed, a petition for writ of habeas corpus or a statutory resentencing petition may still be available.

Do you handle cases outside Los Angeles and Orange County? Yes. The firm appears throughout Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County, and in appeals before every district of the California Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court.

More answers are available on our FAQ page, in our resources and video library, and on our blog.

Contact Power Trial Lawyers

If you have been served with a restraining order, charged with a crime, contacted by an investigator, or need a restraining order or conviction reviewed on appeal, call Power Trial Lawyers at (888) 808-2179 or contact us online. The firm is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our Los Angeles office is at 835 Wilshire Boulevard, 5th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90017, and our Orange County office is at 695 Town Center Drive, Suite 1200, Costa Mesa, California 92626. We represent respondents and defendants throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County, and in appeals statewide.