Alexander Griggs

Alex Griggs is an experienced trial lawyer with twenty years of legal experience. He has enjoyed great success in numerous felony and misdemeanor jury trials both in state and federal court.

Alex began his legal career in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and later moved over to the Public Defenders office.  He gained valuable experience and perspective there in seeing how judges and other prosecutors approached their job and what they expected from a criminal defense attorney.  He learned that, above else, high quality legal representation is the most important quality an attorney should offer, regardless if the case involves a potential life sentence or a mere fine.
 
He has successfully represented thousands of clients facing all types of criminal charges such as DUI, hit and run, theft, domestic violence, "three strikes" cases, assault with a deadly weapon, drug sales and/or possession, burglary, juvenile matters, rape, sex offenses, robbery, grand theft, receiving stolen property, extortion, embezzlement, criminal threats, "white collar" crime, fraud, internet crime, kidnapping, carjacking, petty theft, manslaughter, attempted murder and murder.

He has served as an alternate public defender for many years for Los Angeles County and now, for the U.S. Federal court, while still maintaining a private practice.  It is this exposure to those who cannot pay that gives him an appreciation for how important our justice system is and how significant its power is.
 
These roles have also given Alex exposure to far more serious cases than Greg.  While Greg often handles the more common, less serious cases such as misdemeanor DUI, shoplifting, possession of a controlled substance and domestic violence, Alex is referred much more serious cases by the state and federal courts.
 
These are commonly gang cases and Three Strikes cases where extensive use of private investigators, expert witnesses and, sometimes even dual juries take place.  The stakes in these cases are high and the prosecutors assigned to the cases are often more experienced.  Most of the clients have high bail and cannot afford to post bail, so Alex spends a great deal of time visiting such clients on weekends in county and federal jails.  The clients in these cases often do not have jobs and often face plea bargains that involve 15 or more years in prison, so the clients often decide to go to trial.  Many are young and have been to prison, declaring they are not afraid of going back.  Consequently, Alex finds himself in jury trials much more often than Greg, who has a large number of clients with jobs and do not want to risk going to jail or prison.

Alex relishes the challenges in these cases and enjoys the writing and research that is necessary, often remarking how nice it is to write a brief or motion that quickly resolves a case with a dismissal.

Alex grew up in the South Bay area, so he is familiar with the local areas that experience the most crime and why.

In his free time, Alex likes to spend time with his family, including his two daughters.  He enjoys surfing, riding his bike and playing in a rock and roll band with friends he has had for over 25 years.