Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

Enter legal issue and location

Updated: 06/22/2020

Jamestown, Criminal Defense Lawyer

Overview

Charles B. Smith has 30 years of legal experience as a police officer, prosecutor, and for the past 13 years as a defense attorney and has handled thousands of criminal cases.

Charles was born in Vallejo, California in 1960 and moved with his family to Daly City. Charles worked all during high school and college at a variety of jobs. After putting himself through the Police Academy, he became a police officer with the Broadmoor Police Department. Charles eventually obtained the rank of Sergeant, and served with the Broadmoor PD from 1981 through 1987 while attending college full time. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice from San Jose State University in 1984 and received his Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1987.

Charles became a member of the California State Bar in 1987 and immediately went to work as a Deputy District Attorney for San Mateo County, where he stayed until 1998. While a Deputy District Attorney, Charles prosecuted cases ranging from driving under the influence misdemeanors, gang cases, and special circumstances homicides.

In addition to his criminal defense work, Charles has been a teacher since 1989. He is a professor at The College of San Mateo (Administration of Justice Department) where he has taught full semester courses to Administration of Justice majors including: Criminal Law, Criminal Investigation, and Principles and Procedures of the Justice System. Charles is also an instructor at the POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training) Academy where he has taught multiple aspects of police investigation including: Gang Cases, Homicide Investigation, Sexual Assault Investigation, and Prosecution of Major Narcotics Offenders.

Since becoming an attorney, Charles has defended thousands of people and tried well over 100 cases. His unique combination of past work experience and teaching allow him to represent his clients with an unparalleled knowledge of the inner workings of the criminal justice system.

Charles enjoys spending time with his family, pets, gardening, reading, and watching football. He is an avid San Francisco Giants fan, and is actively working on his goal to see them play at every National League stadium in the country. When he can find the time, he can be found on the golf course playing a round (though not always well!).

About Charles B. Smith

Practice Areas

  • Criminal Defense
  • Criminal Law
  • DUI/DWI
  • Criminal Law - Federal (White Collar Crime)
  • Drug Crimes
  • Expungement & Record-Sealing
  • Juvenile Offenses
  • Resisting Arrest
  • Sex Offenses
  • Theft & Property Crimes
  • Violent Crimes
  • Three-Strikes Law
  • Weapons Charges

Qualifications

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1987
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1987

Fees

Accepts Credit Cards

Office Information

Address

18263 Main Street Jamestown,, CA 95327

Fax

  • (650) 401-6418

Office Hours

M-F 9AM-5PM

When viewing a listing, consider the state advertising restrictions to which lawyers and law firms must adhere, as well as our FindLaw.com Legal Directory disclaimer. Some lawyers publish comparative information regarding the services that they provide which may be subject to specific comparative communications restrictions.

Write Your Review

Fields marked with an * are required

1. Rating

Overall rating

How would you rate your overall experience with this lawyer?

Use the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the rating

Please Rate
Optional ratings
Value
Please Rate
Quality Of Service
Please Rate
Professional Competence
Please Rate

2. Review

Please share your opinion of working with this attorney. Do not reveal personal information or details about your case. All submitted reviews are shared with the attorney prior to publishing.

Your feedback must be at least 50 characters.Your review must be at least 50 characters
I would recommend this attorney to friends and family:

3. Verification

Keep my name anonymous from public view:
Customer Type
Please choose one

Unable to send request

By submitting this form you agree to receive email communications from FindLaw related to the management of your review.

Privacy Statement Contact Lawyer FAQ
By Anonymous on Oct. 30, 2023

0.5 out of 5 stars

To start, disregard Google reviews you see for this attorney. I trusted them and now major regret doing so. Further, all of the following information pertains to my case which was a first time DUI, on a golf cart, outside of a nearby campground. No accidents and no injuries, was stopped for not having a seatbelt. Charles initially (during the consultation) was very responsive and seemed to be in the inner circle in Tuolumne County (the County I was charged in). He spoke about knowing the judges, but stating that the County was stuck in the stone ages. He still displayed confidence in regard to my case and his ability to help me out. I agreed to hire him, signed the retainer, and as soon as I sent my first payment, the communication all but stopped! He initially stated that he preferred to communicate via text, which I was more than happy to do. However, he would almost never respond to my texts. I inquired about court dates, DMV hearing, general questions about my case, etc. and he simply just did not respond. I would then call him and finally get him on the phone just for him to be frustrated with me and tell me that he has been busy in trials. He would never give a straight and honest answer about my case, but instead just say that he has it handled. My frustration first started when I received a warrant for my arrest in the mail for missing a court date. When I contacted Charles, obviously in a panic, he said that my case was not yet filed so he did not appear at the scheduled arraignment, and that the warrant was issued in error. He went to Court the following week to clear it up. At this point in time, I was accepting of the mishap and Charles' fix to the situation. Next came the motion to suppress evidence hearing, which Charles displayed high hopes for. Said he was friends with the judge and that we had about a 70% chance of success. This was a let down once the time came and the judge rejected the motion. I did not feel Charles did a good job at the hearing, as he spent most of the time belittling the officer instead of focusing on the facts. However, I am not an attorney, and maybe that is what works for him? Next frustration was the DMV hearing. After about 9 months of pushing off my hearing (done strategically), he missed my scheduled hearing!! My drivers license was then suspended, throwing our whole strategic timeline off. I initially couldn't get ahold of him to find out what was going on, so I reached out to DMV. They told me that he missed the hearing and they could not reach him after multiple attempts so they had not choice but to suspend my license. When I finally did get ahold of Charles, he said he let them know he wouldn't be able to make the hearing on the day before it was scheduled, due to trial, but I believe this is just a lie he told to appease me. He did refund a portion of my retainer for missing the hearing though. At this point I was done and asked him to get me the best plea deal. I do not believe he spoke privately to the DA once during this whole process in an attempt to get a plea deal. He simply just told me that they don't offer plea deals in that County. I have a really hard time believing this. He went to Court, with my plea papers in hand, and called me after the hearing to let me know I could either do 2 days in jail, 30 days house arrest, or 10 days sheriff work program. I would also have to pay $2142 and be on probation for 3 years. I was shocked he couldn't get me anything better than that, but opted to do the 10 days sheriff work program. When we finally went to sentencing, he was over 40 minutes late!!! He also showed up in the courtroom flustered and in a hurry. It was obvious to me at that point how the Judge and court in general view Charles in Tuolumne County. To anyone reading this, please go another route when it comes to hiring an attorney in Tuolumne County. Most of my stress about this whole ordeal was associated with Charles instead of the criminal case.

Value

Quality Of Service

Professional Competence

Map Location

Google Map

How do I choose a lawyer?

Consider the following:

Comfort Level
- Are you comfortable telling the lawyer personal information? Does the lawyer seem interested in solving your problem?

Credentials
- How long has the lawyer been in practice? Has the lawyer worked on other cases similar to yours?

Cost
- How are the lawyer's fees structured - hourly or flat fee? Can the lawyer estimate the cost of your case?

City
- Is the lawyer's office conveniently located?

Not sure what questions to ask a lawyer?

Here are a few to get you started:

  • How long have you been in practice?
  • How many cases like mine have you handled?
  • How often do you settle cases out of court?
  • What are your fees and costs?
  • What are the next steps?

Want to check lawyer discipline?

It is always a good idea to research your lawyer prior to hiring. Every state has a disciplinary organization that monitors attorneys, their licenses, and consumer complaints. By researching lawyer discipline you can:

  • Ensure the attorney is currently licensed to practice in your state
  • Gain an understanding of his or her historical disciplinary record, if any.
  • Determine the seriousness of complaints/issues which could range from late bar fees to more serious issues requiring disciplinary action.

Find a Lawyer

More Options