Grass Valley & Nevada City Criminal Defense Lawyer

Charged With a Crime in Nevada County? You Deserve a Lawyer Who Has Only Ever Been on Your Side

Hiring the right criminal defense lawyer is the most important decision you'll make in your case

I'm Michael Phillips. I went to law school to help people — especially in their hardest moments. In more than 25 years, I have never used what I know to put a person in jail or make a life harder. I've only ever stood on one side of the courtroom. Yours.

When you call, you reach me directly. You'll get a calm, honest read on where you actually stand. The first conversation is free and confidential.

Bravado is common. Trial skill is rare.

A lot of lawyers say they're aggressive. Most aren't — the bravado rarely survives a courtroom. What actually protects you is quieter and harder to fake: real trial skill, earned by trying cases to verdict, paired with compassion, integrity, and understanding. Serious charges call for both.

One side of the courtroom

The other criminal lawyers in town are former prosecutors. They'll tell you that gives them an edge. The honest truth is simpler: the relationships that move a case come from showing up in these courtrooms for decades and earning respect — not from once having worked in that office. I've spent more than 25 years across the table from these same prosecutors. On one side only. Yours.

A personal practice, by design

What sets my practice apart is plain: it's personal, from the first call to the last. I take only a select number of cases at a time, on purpose, so each client gets my full time and attention. The work in a courtroom comes down to preparation and communication — and that starts with a lawyer who knows your case because he's the one handling it.

• You work directly with me — start to finish, never handed off.

• A limited caseload, so your case has my full attention.

• Flat fees, agreed up front and in writing, so you know your cost from day one.

• Honest counsel in plain English — advice seasoned by decades in the courtroom, and no scare tactics.

Capable in court. Human throughout.

These are among the hardest days a person goes through. You deserve a lawyer who is formidable in the courtroom and genuinely supportive outside it. I've built this practice around the person, not the case file — because good people end up here, and you'll be treated like one.

And before any case moves toward a conviction, I look hard at whether it has to. For the right cases, California's treatment and diversion paths can mean dismissal and a clean record instead of a permanent mark. Innovative strategies, particularly in mental health diversion, offer clients a pathway to sidestep criminal convictions