The Law Office of Charles B. Smith - Jamestown, California

Thomas Buckholz

What can we say about Charles! Our son had an unfortunate accident in his car versus a motorcycle. In a nutshell, they were charging him with a felony hit and run. As a parent, I knew immediately that we should get representation for him/us. His accident happened on Wednesday, May 8th. We were looking for a local attorney, so I began to search the internet and Charles' name came up. We are in Valley Springs and Jamestown is a short hour drive away. On Friday, May 10th, I called and Charles answered. We gave a little background on what happened and we then set up an appointment for that same day. Immediately meeting with Charles, I knew we had made the right decision to have him represent our son! He put us all at ease and by the time we left his office, we felt hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to get our son's charges reduced to a misdemeanor or maybe even less, by submitting a pre-filing intervention. Fast forward to Wednesday, September 25th and Charles called us and said the case had been dropped! Nothing else to be said, other than Charles B. Smith is the attorney for you and we highly recommend him!

Carol Carol

THIS IS THE GUY YOU WANT to represent you! Charles was able to handle the difficulty of my case. He was aggressive and incredibly smart in his approach. He is reliable and easy to talk to. He helped me see every side of my case with ease. I highly recommend you give him a call.

matt teeples

Charles was very helpful of the situation I was in, I felt as a client he put me first and represented me the way he would represent family…he was very accommodating to when I needed to get ahold of him and and looked out for my best interests… he will take care of you

chris carrington

Charles is an amazing attorney but almost more importantly, he is an amazing and compassionate person. He will not BS you and knows the law and what he is capable of doing for you. I got into some trouble and was scared to death about possible years in prison and from the first conversation I had with him I felt much more at ease. Charles truly cares about you and your case. He got my charges dropped down and was fighting for me through the whole ordeal and I'm glad I had him in my corner. The advice Charles gave me before and during the whole court process was spot on and he gave me a new life. The incident I was involved in was due to too much alcohol. My life at that point was not a particularly happy one and my drinking became out of hand. I can truly say he helped change my life, got me sober and I can't thank him enough for all his help!

Anon Ymous

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 firmly believe this is 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.

Nicolas Aliaga

Charles B. Smith helped me through the toughest time in my life. I was throwing my life away as a drug addict and got myself into a legal mess that threatened to tear my whole life apart. Charles was compassionate, kind, prepared, knowledgeable--everything you want an attorney to be. Not only did he get me the best possible result with my cases, he helped steer me out of the mess of my life. He checked in with my parents frequently to comfort my mom and dad while I was working through my legal troubles. He worked with me as to his fees, always seeing me as a person, not just a client. I'm proud to say that 13 years later, my life is vastly different. I'm a sober man, a homeowner, a good tax-paying citizen, a successful professional. I couldn't have gotten there without Charles. He has also given me the opportunity to be of service to others, occasionally calling me in to talk to other addicts who need proof that life gets better. In my house, Charles' birthday is a national holiday, and I still call him every year to sing him Happy Birthday. Charles will help you, and he'll care.

NCN

People are too quick to judge on one negative review. BUT READ THIS: Theres more than one attorney with the last name Smith and these awful reviews are accusing the wrong guy!!
Charles is incredibly professional with decades worth of experience, and has extensive knowledge with criminal law and investigations. Ive been a client for many years and I know that I can trust Charles for legal advice. He is very sincere and takes time to explain things clearly. My words cannot explain enough of the good things about him. Im always so thankful for how well he has managed my case. If you're still not convinced about having Charles represent you after reading this, then to the very least, give his office a call. Talk to Charles about your situation. I would definitely recommend him every time!

Sarah Q

Charles B. Smith has been my lawyer for the last 15 years. He has been a tremendous help when I have had to utilize his services and always came out on top. He's thorough, articulate, resourceful, honest and highly educated on not only Criminal Law but Law Enforcement being that he was also a police officer for many years before becoming a lawyer. You want someone like him in your corner. He has the experience, wisdom and tenacity to access your case and be direct and honest about what he can do for you and what your possible outcomes would be. My experience dealing with him has been pleasant and I have felt at ease afterwards with my concerns addressed and my questions answered to the best of his ability. If you're in legal trouble, call Charles B. Smith to fight for you, you will not be disappointed. Be aware though, there are a couple other Charles Smith attorneys and you'll want to be sure you have the correct Charles B. Smith, Criminal Defense Attorney in your corner fighting for you.