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Criminal Defense Lawyers in Foothill Ranch, CA: 2026 rankings

412 criminal defense lawyers ranked by LFR ScoreUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank →

The short answer

  1. 1

    Highest LFR Score in Foothill Ranch: The Law Offices of Bryan R. Kazarian, LFR Score 71/100; 5.0★ from 268 Google reviews; open 24/7.

  2. 2

    Open 24 hours (per Google): Braden & Tucci, posts 24/7 hours; ranked #2 of 412.

  3. 5

    Most-reviewed: Kia Law Firm, 602 Google reviews at 5.0★, the most of 412 ranked; ranked #5.

Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank

412 Foothill Ranch criminal defense lawyers are ranked here by LFR Score, from nine published factors. 156 are open 24/7, 213 open Saturdays and 187 open Sundays, based on posted hours. The median Google rating is 4.9★ across 412 rated law firms.

Top 10 criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch at a glance

Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.

Top 10 criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch at a glance
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingBased inHoursNotable for
1The Law Offices of Bryan R. Kazarian715.0★ (268)Santa Ana, 12 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Top score
2Braden & Tucci704.8★ (198)Irvine, 6 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Open 24 hours
3Ron Cordova Attorney At Law705.0★ (98)Irvine, 6 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
4Hart Levin - Orange County DUI Lawyers705.0★ (95)Irvine, 6 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
5Kia Law Firm695.0★ (602)Riverside, 26 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Most reviews
6Law Offices of Stull & Stull695.0★ (81)Irvine, 6 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
7Chambers & Ball695.0★ (156)Santa Ana, 13 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
8Johnson Criminal Law Group694.9★ (171)Irvine, 11 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
9Law Offices of Randy Collins694.9★ (152)Newport Beach, 12 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
10Law Offices of Christian Kim695.0★ (112)Irvine, 11 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—

All 412 criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch, in rank order

Ordered by LFR Score, a 0–100 score from nine published factors. Paid placement never changes the order.

Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.

Scores below: based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected. Hatched segments mark factors we don't have yet.

  1. Based in Irvine, 6 mi away

    70/100LFR Score

    Ranked #2 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 198 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.8★ from 198 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    82 Discovery, Irvine, CA 92618
  2. Based in Riverside, 26 mi away

    69/100LFR Score

    Ranked #5 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 602 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 602 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    4275 Main St, Riverside, CA 92501
  3. Based in Santa Ana, 13 mi away

    69/100LFR Score

    Ranked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 156 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 156 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    404 W 4th St L, Santa Ana, CA 92701
  4. Based in Orange, 15 mi away

    69/100LFR Score

    Ranked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 168 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 168 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    333 City Blvd W Ste 1750, Orange, CA 92868
  5. Based in Tustin, 10 mi away

    68/100LFR Score

    Ranked #14 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 75 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 75 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    18002 Irvine Blvd Ste 108, Tustin, CA 92780
  6. Based in Fullerton, 21 mi away

    68/100LFR Score

    Ranked #15 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 201 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 201 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1440 N Harbor Blvd #260, Fullerton, CA 92835
  7. Based in Costa Mesa, 15 mi away

    68/100LFR Score

    Ranked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 100 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 100 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    131 E 18th St, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Criminal defense lawyers ranked #26 to #50

#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile. We publish the top 50 of 412 ranked criminal defense lawyers here; the rest are on their profiles.

criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch, ranks 26 to 50
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingDistance
26Seyb Law Group674.9★ (61)10 mi
27Simmons Wagner, LLP675.0★ (33)6 mi
28Greenberg & Greenberg674.9★ (290)26 mi
29Liberty Criminal Defense & DUI Lawyers674.9★ (35)6 mi
301-800-NoCuffs674.9★ (111)18 mi
31Law Office of Neeraj D. Singh, APC675.0★ (71)15 mi
32Corrigan Welbourn Stokke, APLC675.0★ (50)12 mi
33Kenney Legal Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers674.9★ (65)13 mi
34Law Offices of John D. Rogers675.0★ (50)12 mi
35The Law Offices of John L. Michels675.0★ (145)23 mi
36Newman & Allen674.9★ (337)29 mi
37Chudnovsky Law - Criminal & DUI Lawyers674.9★ (60)14 mi
38John Christl Law675.0★ (43)11 mi
39The Logrue Law Firm675.0★ (46)13 mi
40HJP Legal665.0★ (19)6 mi
41Law Office of Wais Azami | OC Criminal & DUI Defense Lawyer665.0★ (88)22 mi
42The Law Offices of Grant Bettencourt665.0★ (39)13 mi
43Law Offices of David Chesley665.0★ (47)16 mi
44The Criminal And DUI Guys - Criminal Defense Attorneys -665.0★ (166)29 mi
45CheapTrafficAttorneys664.9★ (369)25 mi
46Frances Prizzia Criminal Defense Lawyers664.5★ (66)12 mi
47The Law Offices of Bryan R. Kazarian665.0★ (64)20 mi
48Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo664.7★ (99)11 mi
49My Rights Law Criminal Defense and DUI Lawyers - Rancho Cucamonga664.9★ (184)29 mi
50CCLG: Orange County Criminal Attorney664.8★ (35)12 mi

Also serving Foothill Ranch

20 more criminal defense lawyers within 30 mi that we can't rank yet: too few reviews, or a practice area we couldn't confirm. Listed A to Z.

Unranked criminal defense lawyers serving Foothill Ranch
BusinessGoogle ratingDistance
1-800-NoCuffs4.4★ (48)12 mi
Blue Systems International PI5.0★ (2)26 mi
Daily Aljian LLP4.5★ (2)12 mi
Espinosa & Espinosa5.0★ (2)13 mi
Gibbons, Gibbons & Gibbons A Law Corporation5.0★ (2)13 mi
Harvey Decker Law Office5.0★ (2)9 mi
Lake Forest Bankruptcy4.6★ (8)In Foothill Ranch
Law Office of Haleh Rashidi, Family Law Mediator5.0★ (1)In Foothill Ranch
Law Offices of Joseph P. Smith4.8★ (32)12 mi
Law Offices of Malcolm M. Guleserian5.0★ (2)19 mi
Law Offices of Roger H. Chien, APC5.0★ (2)12 mi
Lee & Keary: Attorneys at Law5.0★ (1)In Foothill Ranch
Richard J. Beada Attorney at Law5.0★ (2)12 mi
The Hashemi Law Firm APC4.9★ (87)In Foothill Ranch
The Law Office of Bruce C. Bridgman5.0★ (2)8 mi
The Law Office of Jason M. Zerehi3.0★ (2)15 mi
The Law Offices of K. Sean Singh & Associates5.0★ (2)13 mi
The Law Offices of Zhou & Chini5.0★ (2)11 mi
The Wallin Firm4.8★ (4)In Foothill Ranch
Thomas B. Connor, Attorney at Law5.0★ (2)10 mi

How we ranked Foothill Ranch criminal defense lawyers

We scored 412 Foothill Ranch criminal defense lawyers on nine factors, weighted as shown. A law firm is ranked when its practice area is confirmed and it has 3 or more Google reviews or a claimed profile. A law firm with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency. Other unknown factors are left out, not counted as zero. Scores last refreshed November 9, 2026.

Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.

Read the full method: formula, sources and exclusions

LFR Score factors and weights
FactorWeightComputed fromIn Foothill Ranch data
Reputation25%Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back itMeasured
Bar status10%An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded)Not yet collected
Review volume10%Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the listMeasured
Recency10%Share of reviews from the last 12 monthsNot yet collected
Availability5%Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7Measured
Practice focus15%How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name)Measured
Proximity5%An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it isMeasured
Claimed profile10%The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same)Measured
Law Firms Ranked reviews10%Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there areMeasured

How to choose a criminal defense lawyer

  1. Check the lawyer’s status and any public discipline in the state bar or law society directory.
  2. Ask how many criminal defense matters the lawyer handles each year, and who at the firm will do the work.
  3. Get the fee arrangement in writing: hourly, flat or contingency, and which costs are charged on top.
  4. Ask how and how often the firm will update you, and how fast it answers calls and emails.
  5. Read recent reviews for how the firm communicated and billed, not only for outcomes.
  6. Ask whether the lawyer regularly appears in the court where your case is filed.
  7. Meet more than one firm; many offer a short first consultation, sometimes free.

Questions to ask a criminal defense lawyer

  • How would you approach a matter like mine, and what are the realistic options?
  • How do you charge, and what will the total likely cost?
  • Who will be my main contact, and how quickly do you reply?
  • What does the flat fee cover, and what costs extra if the case goes to trial?
  • Who will appear with me at each hearing?
  • Is there any conflict of interest that would stop you representing me?

Terms explained

Contingency fee
A fee that is a share of the money recovered, paid only if there is a recovery. Common in injury cases; not allowed for criminal defense or for securing a divorce.
Retainer
Money paid up front and held in a trust account, which the lawyer draws on as fees are earned.
Flat fee
One set price for a defined piece of work, such as a will or an uncontested matter.
Limited-scope representation
Paying a lawyer for part of a matter only, such as reviewing documents or coaching for one hearing (also called unbundled services).
Statute of limitations
The deadline to file a lawsuit or charge. It differs by state or province and by type of claim.
Good standing
A lawyer’s status as active and eligible to practise with a state bar or law society.
Law society
The body that licenses and disciplines lawyers in a Canadian province or territory.
Board certification
Recognition in a field of law by a state program or an organisation accredited for that purpose. Lawyers may only claim it when they hold it, naming the certifying body.
Attorney–client privilege
The rule that keeps confidential communications between a client and lawyer, made for legal advice, out of court.
Conflict check
The search a firm runs before taking a matter to make sure it does not represent someone on the other side.
Pro bono
Legal work done for free, usually for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
Legal aid
Publicly funded legal help for people with low incomes, through legal aid offices, public defenders or provincial legal aid plans.

Criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch: frequently asked questions

Which criminal defense lawyer has the highest LFR Score in Foothill Ranch?

By LFR Score, the highest-ranked criminal defense lawyer in Foothill Ranch, CA is The Law Offices of Bryan R. Kazarian with an LFR Score of 71/100. It has 5.0★ from 268 Google reviews. It is open 24/7. Braden & Tucci (#2) and Ron Cordova Attorney At Law (#3) follow. We ranked 412 criminal defense lawyers on nine factors, last updated November 9, 2026.

How many criminal defense lawyers are there in Foothill Ranch?

LawFirmsRanked ranks 412 criminal defense lawyers serving Foothill Ranch, CA. Another 20 within 30 mi are listed but not ranked yet. Counts are as of November 2026.

Which criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch are open 24/7?

156 ranked criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch post 24/7 hours. The highest-ranked are The Law Offices of Bryan R. Kazarian (#1), Braden & Tucci (#2) and Ron Cordova Attorney At Law (#3). Hours come from each law firm's Google listing as of November 2026, so call to confirm.

Which criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch work on weekends?

213 of 412 ranked criminal defense lawyers post Saturday hours and 187 post Sunday hours. The highest-ranked open Saturdays are The Law Offices of Bryan R. Kazarian (#1), Braden & Tucci (#2) and Ron Cordova Attorney At Law (#3). Posted hours are office hours; many firms meet clients by appointment outside them.

What Google rating do Foothill Ranch criminal defense lawyers have?

The median Google rating among 412 rated criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch is 4.9★, with a median of 19 reviews. Kia Law Firm has the most, 602 reviews, and ranks #5. We adjust ratings for review count, so a few five-star reviews cannot top the list.

How does LawFirmsRanked rank criminal defense lawyers?

Each criminal defense lawyer gets a 0–100 LFR Score from nine published factors, led by reputation (25%), practice focus (15%), review volume (10%) and recency (10%). A law firm with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency; other factors we cannot measure are left out. Only law firms with a confirmed practice area and 3 or more reviews, or a claimed profile, are ranked.

Do criminal defense lawyers outside Foothill Ranch count in this ranking?

Yes, if they are within 30 mi of the Foothill Ranch city center, our service radius for criminal defense lawyers. Each listing shows where the law firm is based and how far away it is. Proximity is 5% of the LFR Score, so a nearby law firm gets a small edge.

Can criminal defense lawyers pay to rank higher on LawFirmsRanked?

No. The LFR Score never reads payment status, and this ranking has 0 paid placements. Up to 3 Featured law firms may appear above the list, labelled Attorney advertising and showing their honest rank.

How do criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch, CA charge?

Criminal defense lawyers usually charge a flat fee per stage (for example, through a plea or through trial) or an hourly rate. Contingency fees are not allowed in criminal cases under ABA Model Rule 1.5(d). Lawyers using Clio billed an average of $219 an hour in this area (Clio Legal Trends data, October 2026; all areas $362). Ask for the fee arrangement in writing before you agree.

What if I can’t afford a criminal defense lawyer?

If a charge can lead to jail, the court must appoint a lawyer for you if you cannot afford one (Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963; Argersinger v. Hamlin, 1972). Ask about a public defender at your first court appearance. This is general information, not legal advice.

How is this list of criminal defense lawyers in Foothill Ranch, CA ranked?

By LFR Score only, from public data on reviews, practice focus, office location and hours. Firms labelled “Attorney advertising” paid for that placement; payment never changes a rank, and a rank is not an endorsement.

Does a lawyer need an office in Foothill Ranch?

No, but the lawyer must be licensed in your state (or, for federal matters such as immigration, in some state). A local office makes meetings and court appearances easier, so proximity is one of our factors.

Update log for Foothill Ranch

  1. November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 412 criminal defense lawyers serving Foothill Ranch.

More criminal defense lawyers and Foothill Ranch pages

Other practice areas in Foothill Ranch