Thomas O.
Gary Labin is the best lawyer in Los Angeles. I feel that I "know lawyers", from having gone to law school, worked in several law firms, and dealt with lawyers for my most recent employer. All of these were lacking in some way, failing to be creative or sensitive to some nuances that can make your whole case, and it was frustrating to see them taking the easy way out--lots of case settling instead of winning when winning was the only just outcome.
Already on your first telephone call you will realize that Gary is not that way. There are no cutting corners for him, he gives you the very best there is from the very beginning when you aren't even a client yet, and as time goes on, at each moment when you need it, he will reveal some other skill he's got up his sleeve. He embraces you securely in his knowledge and compassion.
I don't want to get into the particulars of my case, but I will say that I did something nice and generous for some people that was for some reason completely taken the wrong way and they interpreted it as "dangerous". They called the police and I was accused of one of the worst accusations a person could make to another.
They were attempting to obtain a restraining order, not really justifiable based on the circumstances, but for me, that would have been a "criminal record" kind of thing, when my whole life had been "100% clear" and something like that could even prevent me from getting certain jobs, not to mention that my very good reputation could be unjustifiably harmed if the accusers prevailed.
I searched the Internet for the kind of a lawyer I needed, and information on Gary and some other lawyers popped up. I studied both law firms and chose Gary to call. From the very first minute, I felt understood and cared for. As you can imagine I was very distraught, but he put me at ease by explaining the particular operations of this court and what very good chances I had that I would prevail. He is an expert in this kind of case.
On our first meeting in his office, I confirmed with Gary that I wanted him to be my lawyer, so he had me sign a document and I paid him his very reasonable fee.
I had brought in a suitcase full of evidenced in my favor. Gary looked at everything and selected the ones that were the most helpful to the defense. Gary was able to put together an air-tight response. But I had a problem...while I wanted to "win", which meant getting no restraining order, I nevertheless worried about the other party would not feel "protected" and then what would they do to me instead. The situation was ironic, because they already had what they sought, I had no intention of ever contacting them, I didn't need a court order to stop me. I had never had any ill feelings toward them. I wanted them to feel safe so that they could go back to enjoying their lives like I wanted to do.
Well, lo and behold there was a way--make a private agreement between the two parties. Gary wrote a masterpiece document making it as fair for me as possible while at the same time providing the assurance that the other party needed. Well, there were several passes back and forth with each lawyer subtracting and adding clauses. It's exhausting to go through this and I worried about Gary spending so much time on it, but he blew those objections away and continued to put into it whatever time it required.
I loved his writing skills--he not only would use the perfect denotative word, meaning, what precisely needed to said, but also the perfect connotative word that creates a certain communicative atmosphere. An example of a denotative word is "house", whereas a connotative word might be "home". See the difference? There is artistry in there and Gary has it.
I much appreciated how he advised me, helped me balance the risks and determine which aspects were absolutely essential and which undesirable ones I could live with. What we ended up with (also with the cooperation of the lawyer and the parties on the other side) was a perfect document that was acceptable for everybody. This is what I think of as a "Gandhi Lawyer", helping his client to the maximum, yet having the opposite side come away satisfied as well. When there is a dispute in a situation like mine where I never held ill-will toward the accusers, a pure one-sided "win" is not the best goal. I am sure Gary could have easily brought that in (think of that if that is what you need), but instead, he brought in the bigger, mutual win. You cannot do better than Gary Labin when it comes to getting a brilliant defense and YOU feeling happy. Also, he has an efficient assistant and in the office kindly and friendly general office staff, and the building even has cool parking attendants. It's all a win win win win. The Law Offices of Gary Labin is for sure the place to call.
Joel C.
Gary Labin is the best, very very diligent, took great care of my case, keep me inform of everything going on in court and won my case, he was highly recommend by my inmigration lawyer, I can thank him enough for such incredible work he did
Sebastien F.
I use Gary these past years and I simply can't believe how on top of his game he is. He will get back to you within minutes if not seconds. Always has the time to give you more info or go overboard to make sure you're good. TOP NUTCH.
Aleksandra M.
Gary Labin is an excellent lawyer. He helped me lower my charges to a misdemeanor. He saved me trips to Lancaster court, when it was possible. He was always available to talk to and haven’t charged for every second he spent with me (texting or on the phone), like most lawyers do. He is so personal and caring, I can’t say enough how supportive he was through these difficult times for me. Because I had such a great experience, I went to him again with another case and he had the case dismissed completely. Also, after few years he followed up and filed for an expungement of my first case.
After knowing him for four years, I feel I can always reach out to him for advice and would highly recommend him. Thank you so much Gary for all your time and care!
Katherine J.
I highly recommend Gary Labin as a lawyer! He was extremely professional, yet also very kind and understanding. It's a scary position to be in when needing a lawyer and I felt that he held my hand throughout the entire process and kept me informed and updated throughout as well.
My situation was his number one concern, not money. When I had a setback, which was my fault, he bent over backwards to help me resolve the issue.
I honestly can't say enough good things about Mr Labin, he truly did a great job and is an extremely trustworthy lawyer...a rare find. And grateful that I did find him!!
Jose R.
Mr. Labin has been very helpful getting my situation fixed. Through these past months Mr. Labin been with me. He has been very patient and was always willing to answer my calls. He was very thorough in explaining all the processes we would have to go through and made it clear the type of things that I could of expected, good or bad. In the end we managed to get my case settled and now myself and my family can rest at ease. He is a great lawyer and would gladly come back to him if need be.
Eli H.
Attorney, Gary Labin is the one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the Los Angeles area. As a former DIstrict Attorney, attorney Labin has excellent knowledge and expertise in all areas of criminal defense proceedings. He also displays uncommon patience, empathy and responsiveness for his clients in their time of need. If, god forbid, you ever need a criminal defense attorney, you MUST talk to attorney Labin.
Anthony G.
Note: For privacy's sake, I am writing this with a new Yelp! account:
I can't write enough about my outstanding experience with Gary. I highly recommend him for DUI matters regarding professionals with licenses in the State of California.
Bottom line up front: in my first and hopefully last DUI case, Gary won my DMV hearing so I didn't get my license suspended -- AFTER the hearing had been lost by another law firm -- and in the same case, got me a wet reckless instead of a DUI, even though I had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .149 and admitted taking Xanax at the same time, which is virtually unheard of.
He also successfully got my case expunged after only 21 months of probation instead of the 3 years to which I was sentenced.
The wet reckless instead of a DUI makes a world of difference for registered nurses such as me. It means I only received a warning letter from the California Board of Registered Nursing, and I can practice without any action or restriction upon my RN license. No one can see the warning letter unless they directly ask the board if I have one, and the letter is removed from my file after 3 years.
Winning the DMV hearing meant that I could drive immediately instead of having to somehow figure out how I was going to get to my work site, 40 miles away, every day for a year. Plus now I can legally state that I have never had my license suspended.
Working with Gary, he is straightforward and direct, but very personable and a caring human being, which I got immediately upon meeting him. He uses telephone, emails, and texting very effectively and is available and ready to answer questions outside of his office hours. He fought very hard to get me a great result for my case, and I am very happy with this result and grateful for it.
The story if you'd like to read it:
I'm a professional - a registered nurse - who ended up with a DUI charge against me. Gary was my third different attorney on the case, because I was not satisfied with what the other two firms were doing and I looked for someone with prosecution experience.
By the time Gary took over my case, I had already lost my DMV hearing -- my attorney at the time conducted the hearing over the phone -- and was about to have my driver license suspended for 1 year.
Upon taking my case, Gary went over some details that the other firms had not bothered to do, and he was surprised: the other firms had not subpoenaed the tape of the arrest.
When Gary found this out, he filed to subpoena that tape. It turned out that Ontario police could not find the tape. Gary also asked for a tape of my DMV hearing that I lost. There was none.
This allowed for a nullification of the DMV hearing that I lost. Gary then went in person to the new DMV hearing do-over, and won the DMV hearing. This meant that I would not have a suspended license and would not lose my driving privileges regardless of the outcome of the DUI criminal proceedings.
Gary worked very hard. He found a very legitimate medical examiner who wrote an excellent analysis for me regarding Xanax, which was one key to my DUI.
Armed with this, we went into the week before my scheduled trial, and the district attorney offered me a wet reckless charge instead of the DUI. Part of me wanted to decline the offer, because I truly felt I was innocent, but there is no telling what a jury will do -- they are often not friendly to "drunk drivers," so I did not gamble with my RN license. I took the wet reckless gladly.
For a professional in California, such as me with an RN license, this wet reckless meant the world of a difference. For my first-time wet reckless, the California Board of Registered Nursing only gives a warning letter, there is no action against the license, the warning leaves the permanent record after three years, and no one can see it without directly inquiring to the CA Board.
So the most important things -- my license and my driving -- Gary protected.
Gary got the judge at the wet reckless hearing to agree to revisit my probation after 18 months instead of 3 years. We prepared for this hearing and, at 21 months, went into it and the judge dismissed my probation and expunged my case. Of course, in California there is no such thing as 100% expungement -- any matters involving my license or me running for public office require the disclosure of the wet reckless -- but this is as good as it gets. I had no issues with my job or my schooling (I was going for an advaced degree at the time, which I eventually earned).
The whole time, Gary was supportive. Again, I highly recommend him.
Ivan G.
Gary was highly recommended when searching for someone to represent my girlfriend and I in a case where officers were wrongly charging an innocent person with a crime. Gary was professional, punctual, and devoted to seeking justice for us. Ultimately proving that with hard work, knowledge, and dedication. Justice could be served. I thank Gary for restoring my view of the judicial system, and ending a bad chapter with a victory. This is a man who I recommend to anyone.
J C.
I found Gary after being arrested for DUI, for my second time.
After my first DUI I went through all the classes and heard all the stories, so I knew how bad a second DUI could really be, I was terrified. I will not make any excuses for my actions, they were mine, something I own. Now that the whole thing is over and behind me I can look back at it. The facts are, Gary immediately stepped in and stopped my driver's license from being restricted, he fought and won my DMV trial allowing me to keep my license, I even got my checks back from the CHP I had to pay to get them to testify. Gary also got me a reduced plea of "wet and reckless" (so no 2nd DUI on my record) and an 18-month program, which he further got them down to a 9-month program. I blew a .07 at time of arrest, and a .08 by the time I got to the station. What I really remember were those times before my court case when anything was still possible, I was quite scared. Gary always returned my phone calls or texts nearly immediately, he was just there every time. I couldn't recommend this guy enough, in fact I already have, he is currently representing my brother in unrelated case, and kicking butt there too. But seriously, if you need his services, some stuff has gone wrong, and he will be there with you to help you navigate through it.