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Emergency Criminal Defense Lawyers in San Mateo, CA (2026)

Top 50 of 214 criminal defense lawyers, in emergency orderUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank

25 of the 50 criminal defense lawyers on this list post 24/7 hours. 24/7 law firms come first, then same-day, each ranked by LFR Score with availability weighted higher.

If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.

The short answer

  1. 1

    #1 for emergency criminal defense in San Mateo: Silver Law Firm, open 24/7.

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

Top emergency criminal defense lawyers in San Mateo 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 emergency criminal defense lawyers in San Mateo at a glance
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingBased inHours
1Silver Law Firm714.9★ (425)Oakland, 16 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
2Ahmed & Sukaram, Criminal Defense Attorneys - Redwood City Office714.9★ (138)Redwood City, 7 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
3Lamano Law Office705.0★ (263)Oakland, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
4Torres & Caraves Law704.9★ (273)Oakland, 16 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
5Javier Rios San Jose Criminal Defense Attorney695.0★ (390)San Jose, 27 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
6Summit Defense Criminal Lawyers - Oakland Office694.9★ (155)Oakland, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
7Morales Law Firm695.0★ (50)Redwood City, 7 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
8Summit Defense Criminal Lawyers - Redwood City Office684.9★ (46)Redwood City, 7 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
9Summit Defense Criminal Lawyers - San Jose Office684.9★ (239)San Jose, 25 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)
10AMIN LAW DUI Attorneys685.0★ (19)San MateoOpen 24 hrs (Google)

Call an emergency criminal defense lawyer in San Mateo now

24-hour hours mean the firm lists itself as open around the clock on Google; that does not show its phone is answered. A lawyer may not be able to visit a jail or appear in court the same day: ask what they can do now and what it costs before you agree.

The 50 emergency criminal defense lawyers in San Mateo, ranked

24/7 first, then same-day service, then the rest. Each group is in LFR Score order on emergency weights. The full ranking of all 214 is on the criminal defense lawyers page.

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. Ranked #1 in San Mateo

    Based in Oakland, 16 mi away

    71/100LFR Score

    Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 425 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 425 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    2100 Embarcadero #204, Oakland, CA 94606
  2. Based in Oakland, 17 mi away

    70/100LFR Score

    Ranked #3 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 263 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 263 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1901 Harrison St Ste 1100, Oakland, CA 94612
  3. Based in Oakland, 16 mi away

    70/100LFR Score

    Ranked #4 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 273 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 273 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1211 Embarcadero Ste 210, Oakland, CA 94606
  4. Based in Redwood City, 7 mi away

    69/100LFR Score

    Ranked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 50 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 50 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    605 Middlefield Rd Ste a, Redwood City, CA 94063
  5. Based in Santa Clara, 25 mi away

    67/100LFR Score

    Ranked #16 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 274 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.6★ from 274 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    2005 De La Cruz Blvd #295, Santa Clara, CA 95050
  6. Based in Oakland, 18 mi away

    67/100LFR Score

    Ranked #17 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
    460 Boulevard Way #3, Oakland, CA 94610
  7. Based in Oakland, 17 mi away

    67/100LFR Score

    Ranked #19 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 96 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.6★ from 96 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1423 Broadway #1025, Oakland, CA 94612
  8. Based in San Jose, 28 mi away

    67/100LFR Score

    Ranked #20 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 175 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 175 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    181 Devine St Ste 4, San Jose, CA 95110
  9. Based in San Francisco, 16 mi away

    67/100LFR Score

    Ranked #21 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 70 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.7★ from 70 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1388 Sutter St 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109
  10. Based in Oakland, 17 mi away

    67/100LFR Score

    Ranked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 55 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 55 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1999 Harrison St #1800, Oakland, CA 94612

Top 50 of 214 criminal defense lawyers by emergency score

#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile.

criminal defense lawyers in San Mateo, ranks 26 to 50
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingDistance
26Ahmed & Sukaram, Criminal Defense Attorneys San Jose674.9★ (156)27 mi
27Law Office of Derek R. Ewin665.0★ (127)28 mi
28Doctor Alex Abogado Penalista664.3★ (80)17 mi
29Virtuoso Criminal and DUI Lawyers664.9★ (35)15 mi
30Law Office of James Dunn664.4★ (20)7 mi
31Morris Law PC, A Criminal Defense Firm664.9★ (65)22 mi
32Lamano Law Office - Oakland Criminal Justice Attorney665.0★ (32)16 mi
33The Law Offices of Lucy S. McAllister664.8★ (34)16 mi
34Law Firm of Aaron Bortel655.0★ (19)15 mi
35Law Offices of Thomas Nicholas Cvietkovich655.0★ (55)28 mi
36Summit Defense Criminal Lawyers - Pleasanton Office654.9★ (41)24 mi
37Leon Mezzetti Criminal Law Offices Bay Area654.6★ (31)19 mi
38Law Offices of John M. Runfola654.8★ (20)16 mi
39The Law Offices of Robert Byers644.0★ (29)16 mi
401-800-NoCuffs644.2★ (22)16 mi
41Law Offices of David Chesley645.0★ (14)16 mi
42Pernik Law, APC645.0★ (38)27 mi
43Law Office of Nors Davidson644.5★ (16)16 mi
44Oakland DUI Attorneys645.0★ (13)16 mi
45Gorelick Law Office644.9★ (29)25 mi
46Vijay Law645.0★ (38)28 mi
47Law Office of Nabiel C. Ahmed San Ramon634.7★ (25)24 mi
48Luna Bail Bonds634.5★ (38)28 mi
49The Law Offices of Lucy S. McAllister634.6★ (36)28 mi
50Law Offices of Curtis L. Briggs635.0★ (8)16 mi

How we ranked emergency criminal defense lawyers in San Mateo

Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.

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 from
Reputation15%Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back it
Bar status10%An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded)
Review volume10%Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the list
Recency10%Share of reviews from the last 12 months
Availability15%Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7
Practice focus15%How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name)
Proximity5%An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it is
Claimed profile10%The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same)
Law Firms Ranked reviews10%Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there are

Emergency criminal defense lawyers in San Mateo: questions

Which criminal defense lawyers in San Mateo are open 24/7?

25 on this list post 24/7 hours, including Silver Law Firm, Ahmed & Sukaram, Criminal Defense Attorneys - Redwood City Office, Lamano Law Office, Torres & Caraves Law and Javier Rios San Jose Criminal Defense Attorney.

Who is ranked #1 for emergency criminal defense in San Mateo, CA?

Silver Law Firm is #1, with an LFR Score of 71 out of 100 on emergency weights.

How are emergency criminal defense lawyers in San Mateo ranked?

Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.

What should I do before the criminal defense lawyer arrives?

If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.

How many emergency criminal defense lawyers here list a phone number?

25 of the 25 law firms ranked in full list a phone number. Tap Call to dial it.

Update log for San Mateo

  1. November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 214 criminal defense lawyers serving San Mateo.