Dennis Roberts, Attorney at Law

Introduction: I can help with all criminal cases, both state and federal, and I have been doing this for 46 years. After law school in Berkeley, I went to Albany, Georgia and did civil rights litigation for 3 years, then on to NYC as the first staff person for the Center for Constitutional Rights, working with Bill Kunstler for another 3 years, and then back to California, working with Michael Kennedy for another 3 years when I opened my own office in Oakland. During that period of time, I was part of the defense team in both the Chicago 8 case and the Angela David case, doing all the pre-trial motions with Prof. Michael Tigar. Thereafter, I represented Dennis Banks, American Indian Movement, for 13 years, a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court twice until we finally achieved victory. I also represented Cesar Chaves and the Farmworkers Union, as well as many other movement organizations, including SDS. I have tried four murder cases to successful "not guilty" verdicts. I was president of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ) and on the board of the National Association Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), which is the leading national organization of criminal defense lawyers. I served on the board for 12 years. I have taught at Stanford and the University of San Francisco -- training courses on "how to do it" for law students. I have lectured for NORML and NACDL, as well as to groups of young lawyers. I have testified as an expert witness in criminal law matters on a number of occasions. I have tried state and federal cases from San Francisco to New York City and a lot of places in between. I am a member of the California Bar and admitted to practice in several U.S. district courts, as well as three different courts of appeal and the United State Supreme Court. Currently, I do primarily marijuana defense, although I also do the full roster of criminal cases. I am currently involved in a stem cell prosecution (fed. Las Vegas) and a Medicare fraud (fed. in San Jose). Most cases are done on a flat fee basis.