A criminal charge can land on you without warning, and suddenly, everything you've worked for starts to feel fragile. Maybe it was a traffic stop that turned into something more, a misunderstanding at home that ended with officers at the door, or a call from a family member who was just booked. Whatever brought you here, you need a trusted criminal defense lawyer in West Covina who will treat your situation with the seriousness it deserves. Our team at this firm has represented people from La Puente for years, and we've seen how the right defense strategy can change the trajectory of a case. We fight cases, we don't just process them.
La Puente residents who face charges typically end up in the West Covina courthouse or at other Los Angeles Superior Court locations, and our familiarity with those rooms gives clients a real advantage. Tammy Higgins, founding attorney at SoCal Defense Lawyer, has spent nearly 18 years working on cases throughout this part of the county. She returns calls, visits clients in custody, and answers texts directly. That kind of access is rare in criminal defense, and it matters most during the weeks when you're waiting for answers and need someone who picks up the phone.
Before founding the firm, Tammy served 16 years as a Public Defender across Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties. Her final assignment was in the homicide defense unit, where she represented clients facing the most serious charges the state can bring, including capital cases. She has tried more than 100 cases to jury verdict, with over a dozen of those being homicides, and she holds a death penalty qualification granted by California courts. If an attorney is cleared to handle cases where a client's life is on the line, she is more than capable of handling yours.
Our practice covers the full range of California criminal law. We take DUI cases, domestic violence allegations, drug charges, gun and weapons offenses, theft, assault, sexual assault defense, and homicide matters. We also handle expungement petitions under Penal Code 1203.4, mental health diversion under PC 1001.36, veteran diversion, Racial Justice Act claims under AB 256, and re-sentencing petitions for people currently incarcerated under older sentencing laws.
The firm has secured not guilty jury verdicts on murder, gun, child molestation, and assault with a deadly weapon charges. Rape and sexual assault cases have been dismissed at preliminary hearings, domestic violence charges dropped outright, and $250,000 in seized assets returned to a client. Past results never guarantee future outcomes, but they show what preparation and trial readiness produce. ThreeBestRated.com named us one of the 3 Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in West Covina for 2026.
La Puente is a small city in the eastern San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, known for its strong Hispanic heritage, tight-knit neighborhoods, and family-owned businesses along its main corridors.
Reach out today for a free confidential consultation, and let's start building the defense your case deserves.
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