Providing calm inside the storm.

A practice built on one thing

This is a criminal defense firm. Not a general practice that takes criminal cases when they come through the door. Everything here — the preparation, the courtroom relationships, the four decades of accumulated judgment about how Riverside County actually works — points at one kind of problem.

Being charged with a crime is disorienting in a way that is hard to describe to anyone who has not been through it. The firm's job is to take that weight off you and carry it procedurally: to know what happens next, to make sure nothing is missed, and to be the person on the other end of the phone who has seen this before.

Certified Specialist in Criminal Law

Certification as a Specialist in Criminal Law is the highest credential the State Bar of California awards in the field. It is not a marketing designation. It requires intensive written examination, demonstrated proficiency in the practice area, continuing education above the standard requirement, and favorable peer review by judges and by other attorneys.

John Patrick Dolan holds that certification and has been admitted to the California Bar since 1978. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Read his full biography.

Every level of charge

The firm has handled the entire range California prosecutes: traffic infractions, misdemeanors, wobblers, serious and violent felonies, and capital cases. That breadth matters more than it sounds like it should. Knowing how a case is charged, how it can be reduced, and where the prosecution's leverage actually comes from is knowledge that only accumulates by working every level of the system for a long time.

Where we practice

The office is in Indio, minutes from the Larson Justice Center. The firm represents clients throughout the Coachella Valley — Palm Desert, Palm Springs, La Quinta, Coachella, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage and Desert Hot Springs — and across Riverside County. See areas we serve.