Anne C. Beles

My name is Annie Beles and I am an advocate for people accused of crimes. The word “advocate” derives from the Latin, “answering the call to aid.” I will come to your aid when you call. I will apply my knowledge and experience to your or your loved one’s problem. And I will help you.

I have achieved much success for my clients throughout my 20 year career. I sacredly hold my clients’ confidences, so can only summarize their cases publicly. I have had murder cases dismissed, people never charged with sexual crime allegations, and saved people’s careers through agile negotiation. Some of my proudest moments are when I see a former client in the community doing their job or with their family, when they had been facing prison time. I never say hello unless they do. But I know that I helped them out - often, literally, out of jail. I have a dedicated drawer of thank you notes from clients and families for my representation.

I was born and raised in Oakland, California. This city, with all of its diversity, depth and grit, is an integral part of who I am, as a woman, and as a lawyer. I started in criminal defense in 1987 - in my dad’s office. I was 15 years old and I did anything and everything in the office. I filed, I answered the phone, I drove to courts to file motions, I alphabetized, made copies - whatever was needed to support the office. I started, proudly, as a staff member through high school, and graduated from Holy Names High School in 1990.

When I was in college at University of California at Santa Cruz, I worked during breaks, summers, and, occasionally, when Dad needed me, I would come home for the weekends to help out. I began to do more and more legal work - reading police reports, organizing files for the lawyers, more interaction with clients. In 1991, Bob/Dad began preparation for a death penalty trial. I remember coming home to help him out in whatever way that I could.

I graduated from Santa Cruz in June 1994 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in English and American Literature. I began at the University of San Francisco School of Law about seven weeks later. I continued to work at the office throughout law school, taking on more and more responsibility.

I was inducted into the State Bar of California on January 15, 1999. I have defended people accused of crimes in court from January 16, 1999 until the present. Yes, I have done a smattering of other types of law - child dependency, civil, both plaintiff and defense work. I did not become a lawyer because my father was a lawyer - I became a criminal defense lawyer because criminal defense is my vocation, my true calling.

For the last twenty years, I have been going to court and honing the craft of lawyering. I have been saving people from the smallest of traffic fines, domestic violence charges, assault charges, serious sexual assault allegations, murder trials, and all the way to convincing prosecutors not to seek the death penalty.

I try cases. Period.

I have tried 50 jury trials, only 5 of those being misdemeanors. As of December 2019, I have tried 25 homicide trials. A local judge once told me, “one homicide trial is the equivalent experience of 20 misdemeanor trials,” and I tend to agree with him. I have been presented with complex factual and legal problems throughout my career on all of my cases, but a two month murder trial gives me experience far beyond that of a three day DUI trial. I am at the ready to use that knowledge and those skills for you or your loved one.

In my seventh year of practice, I had acquired the necessary experience to apply for certification as a criminal law specialist by the State Bar of California. I then had to go through a vetting process by other lawyers, opponents, and judges, and pass the specialist examination. I was certified as a specialist in criminal law in 2007.

I am proud to be the legal partner with my dad now, and to help manage an intelligent and powerful team of lawyers. We have appellate and immigration specialists in our office. We use all of our collective knowledge to talk out cases and prepare the best defense for every one of our clients.

I would be honored to help you or your loved one in with your legal problem. Let me help you through your legal problem.