Shaun Khojayan | Los Angeles Defense Criminal Lawyer

Aggressive criminal defense in Federal and State courts in Southern California and throughout the United States. Voted the one of the Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyers in the Nation every year since 2016. Mr. Khojayan earned his J.D., with Distinction, from the University of the Pacific. As a trial lawyer from 1998-2002 for the Federal Defenders of San Diego, he conducted numerous federal felony trials with most resulting in not guilty verdicts. He has also authored and argued appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals gaining reversals in several cases. After working as a trial lawyer with the Federal Defenders, Mr. Khojayan joined the nationally known plaintiff’s class-action law firm of Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach LLP where he litigated securities class action lawsuits. Within Milberg Weiss, Mr. Khojayan was part of a select group of lawyers that handled complex, shareholder lawsuits involving mergers and acquisitions, in addition to his securities class action case load. In 2004, Mr. Khojayan opened his own practice in Los Angeles, California, where he defends clients against complex criminal accusations and litigates complex civil lawsuits. Mr. Khojayan is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the California Lawyers Association.

Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire

Please describe a case(s) in the last year or two where you made a big difference.
I have handled many cases that have made a difference in people's lives. For example, I have won jury trials in which the clients have faced mandatory minimum sentences of 10 or 20 years in prison and so the victory set them free to enjoy their lives. But one of the most touching cases was a recent one last year in which I helped a father and son get his father's 30 year old drug conviction vacated which then allowed him to be a citizen. The conviction had him living in fear of being deported at any moment away from his family and grandchildren. To see their faces and tears when the judge granted the motion left me very proud of the work we had done.

How did you build a successful practice?
Building a successfulpractice requires extensive knowledge of the area of the law that you are practicing. It is important to form a team of trusted support staff to maintain client contact and be available to meet our client’s needs at all times.

What should clients look for in a lawyer?
An attorney's understanding and experience with a client’s case and charges are good indicators of a well-qualified attorney. An attorney’s reviews can also increase a potential client's trust when making a decision to hire.

How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases?
Local knowledge is paramount to the success of the case because local rules reflects the courts' traditional authority to manage their own affairs so as to achieve an orderly disposition of cases. The familiarity of local knowledge results in favorable judgments.

What information can you provide in a free phone consultation?
Upon obtaining pertinent case information via telephone, I am able to offer a meaningful, realistic plan of financial preparation and defense.

What information do you need in a free phone consultation?
A caller must have the defendant's name, case number and/or case details when contacting our office for a consultation. Most criminal state or federal case information, if not sealed by the court, are accessible on line and I am able to obtain case details.

What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community?
I have over 20 years of experience in defending different state and federal cases. My staff and I are accessible and available 7 days a week to answer any questions or concerns that a client may have.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job, is attaining a positive outcome for my client. Aside from achieving great outcomes, the other rewarding aspect of my job is those client’s personal referrals. These referrals are from people that know, like and trust me and my business. A happy and satisfied client’s referral is better than any other lead.

What are your other interests in addition to law?
My primary interest outside of my law practice are my wife and son. I love helping our son grow and hopefully one day he can help people as well.

Are you involved in your community?
I am involved in my community through church and charity work through the Armenian Relief Society in which my parents, retried, are actively involved.