Richard Wagner

There is no substitute for the experience and skill Richard Wagner brings to the table as a criminal defense attorney, which includes working as a Los Angeles criminal prosecutor, and the Supervising Attorney at two Southern California criminal defense firms. Mr. Wagner has handled just about every type of criminal case including DUIs in just about every court throughout the Southland.

Mr. Wagner has strong ties to Southern California, attending Capistrano Valley High School in Orange County, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Chapman University School of Law in Orange, California.

In law school, he was on the prestigious Law Review, was awarded the Dean's Merit Scholarship and the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence in advanced criminal procedure. While still in law school, Mr. Wagner gained practical legal experience by working as a law clerk for the Orange County Alternate Public Defender's Office, and serving as a judicial extern to the Honorable Justice Edward Wallin (Ret.), California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division 3.

From the very beginning of his legal career over 13 years ago, Mr. Wagner has worked in the field of criminal law. In fact, immediately after passing the bar exam, he began taking cases pro bono at the Public Law Center in Orange County. In order to gain insight into how the criminal justice system works and hone his trial skills, Mr. Wagner accepted a job as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

During his time as a prosecutor under both James Hahn and Rocky Delgadillo, he began life as a trial lawyer. He was in a Los Angeles courtroom just about every day, involved in some type of criminal case: prostitution, domestic violence, lewd conduct, assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, drunk driving or DUI.

During this time he gave a presentation to police officers on Case Preparation and Courtroom Testimony Training during an MCLE sponsored event at the Los Angeles Police Department, Impaired Driver Apprehension Program (IDAP). In May 2000 and March 2001, he was a speaker at MCLE events sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Trial Advocacy Project (TAP).

In 2002 Attorney Wagner went into private practice opening his own criminal defense law firm in Long Beach. The Law Office of Richard Wagner handled privately retained cases, and accepted court-appointed cases through the Indigent Criminal Defense Appointments Program (ICDA). ICDA, a branch of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, provides indigent criminal defendants with private attorneys in the Los Angeles County Superior Courts when the Public Defender and the Alternative Public Defender are unavailable or have a conflict.

During this time, he was back in the courtroom, but on the other side of counsel table, defending clients all over Southern California on misdemeanors, felonies and DUI cases. He was getting excellent results for his clients, including acquittals, dismissals, and reductions of charges and reduced penalties and sentences. In one particular instance, he got an acquittal at a jury trial in Newport Beach for a woman charged with driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and refusing to take a breath, blood or chemical test in Corona Del Mar on PCH near Baja Fresh.

In another case, Criminal Lawyer Wagner tirelessly worked to get dismissals for misdemenaor charges for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08%, or more, in the Compton Courthouse after two full-blown jury trials ended in deadlocked juries / mistrials.

Attorney Wagner also got a dismissal of all charges from the Los Angeles District Attorney's office for his client with felony charges of lewd conduct on a minor under the age of 14, child molestation, and indecent exposure. His unjustly accused client was facing significant prison time, lifetime sex registration, and a strike in the Los Angeles Superior Court, Bellflower Courthouse.

Defense Attorney Wagner got a dismissal of all charges for his client who was facing state prison time and lifetime drug registration. Mr. Wagner's client was charged with felony charges of second-degree commercial burglary, transportation of marijuana for sale, and felony possession of marijuana for sale in the San Bernardino Superior Court, Fontana Branch.

Attorney Wagner presented a lecture on the topic of DUI defense at Whittier Law School entitled, "What to Do If You Are Arrested for Drunk Driving." Criminal Attorney Wagner's extensive DUI knowledge and experience presented him with the opportunity to become a contributing editor to the California DUI Trial Notebook.

He is one of the few DUI defense attorneys who has devoted the time and energy to successfully complete the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Course. This is the same training class police officers have taken, or should have taken, to learn how to properly conduct a DUI/DWI investigation.

Mr. Wagner is also "Of Counsel" to the Law Offices of Top Gun DUI Defense Attorney Myles L. Berman.

In addition to his work on DUI cases, Defense Attorney Wagner has also handled and supervised all types of criminal matters including misdemeanors and serious felonies in State and Federal court including a major narcotics trafficking case, appearing pro hac vice in the United States District Courts of Idaho and New Mexico.

Mr. Wagner is admitted in the Central and Southern Districts of the United States District Court, in all State courts throughout California. He has defended clients in just about every county throughout California, including: Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Riverside, Tulare, Kern, Imperial, San Diego, plus Alameda and San Joaquin.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of California, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and the California Public Defender's Association.

Click here for information on retaining former prosecutor and criminal attorney Mr. Wagner or call (714) 403-6317.