Immediate Case Evaluation

Mr. Melnik will call you within 3 hours or less

  1. (required)
  2. (valid email required)
 

  • Testimonials

    My case was a worst case scenario, when I called Todd for help I was a 48 year old professional with no criminal background. I knew I could rely on Todd as we had known each other for years and I knew him to be an excellent lawyer and well respected by his peers as a seasoned and skilled attorney. Todd informed me of what he expected to accomplish and the worst that could happen. I thought he was extremely patient and understanding with me and I was able to communicate with him whenever I needed. I felt completely protected throughout the entire process. The only thing I did not know about Todd was how incredibly experienced and knowledgeable he is and his unwavering commitment to protecting his clients. The result I received was well beyond my expectations. I was given a suspended sentence, probation and allowed to rebuild my life. I know without Todd I would never have received such a sentence. His ability to work with the prosecution, convince the Judge to do the right thing and his no nonsense manner impressed me and I recommend him to those who need the best criminal defense lawyer. — - Rob M.

    I’ve been a private investigator for over 15 years and I specialize in criminal defense cases. I’ve worked with hundreds of attorneys over the years and worked closely with Todd Melnik on several. I could count on one hand how many lawyers I would trust with my own family. Melnik is one. Many veteran attorneys care more about squeezing out your last dollar than defending you. Todd Melnik is passionate, diligent and presents cases for the best possible outcome. It’s a honor to have my name affiliated with his office. — - Leigh-Anne Salinas, Chief Investigator

    Todd, I can’t thank you enough and will never forget your hard work, tenacity and responsiveness during this seemingly unbearable time. I am grateful for the outcome you actualized, in addition to the second chance Jeffrey will now receive. I know my son was facing life in prison, but a 6 year deal was more than we had ever hoped for. Thank you so much for your hard work and caring so much about my son. — - Laura B.

    I was charged with five counts of assault weapon sales with gang allegations. Mr. Melnik took over my case as my criminal defense attorney. His availability to discuss my case was impressive. He always returns calls and is extremely professional. Immediately after accepting my case, Mr. Melnik conducted intensive research on the types of weapons I was being accused of. He wanted to make sure the weapons were in fact illegal in California. He discovered one of the weapons was legal and it was dropped from my charges. After multiple court appearances, and after conducting an interview with the ATF’s informant, Mr. Melnik discovered the he was not being truthful about my gang affiliation and the gang allegations were dropped. Mr. Melnik discussed my case with the District Attorney on several occasions. After first wanting to send me to prison, after discussions with Mr. Melnik for over a year, the District Attorney gave me a plea bargain in which I obtained three years probation with no jail time at all! Overall, Mr. Melnik is a very professional attorney with a lot of experience and an exceptional defense record. You can’t go wrong with him. — - Jose P.

    • Practices Areas

    Civil Commitments, MDO and SVP cases

    MDO stands for Mentally Disordered Offenders and SVP stands for Sexually Violent predators. Freedom and privacy are valued greatly by most people and are protected by the U.S. and California Constitutions. When a court defines you as mentally ill and orders you to a mental health institution you lose freedom and privacy. Because you risk losing your freedom, your individual rights must be protected during civil commitment. This is called due process.

    In order to commit you, the court must find that you 1) have a “mental illness,” and 2) are a danger to others. In the civil commitment process you have a right to information in order to understand your rights, including the right to legal representation by your lawyer or one appointed by the court.

    The civil commitment process is not always fair or just. Commitment does not always happen as the law says it should, either because legal procedures are not followed or are due to misinformed beliefs about risk of re-offending. If people carry unfair attitudes and beliefs into the civil commitment process, the results will probably be unfair. This is especially true of Sexually Violent Predator proceedings and trials.

    People have had great difficulty getting out of psychiatric hospitals. Once you are in, it’s easy to keep you. IN MDO cases, your petition must be renewed once a year. In SVP cases, you get one trial and then you are locked up for LIFE.

    Mr. Melnik has extensive experience in psychiatric cases, ranging from involuntary medications being administered to inmates against their will, to MDO civil commitment cases, to over a dozen successful SVP cases defended with clients being released.

    Mr. Melnik has worked with dozens of psychologists and psychiatrists, some pre-eminent in their field in order to successfully obtain releases of his clients. Having worked with so many doctors, Mr. Melnik can select the specific doctors most relevant to your case to help get you out of custody.