About Us

The Law Offices of Kory Mathewson will help your situation and save you time and money!
We want to know your side of the story before quoting you a price on your case. This is the best way to save you money. If you’ve called other lawyers you already know that within the first few minutes most simply want to know what the charges are and immediately quote you a price and quickly end the conversation.  We want to know as much as we can up front so we can best gauge the type of work that needs to be done to achieve the best results as early as possible.

How much are your legal fees?
It depends on the type of case and nature of work to be done.  Some cases may require extensive investigation, while others may not.  That being said, our cases are typically flat fee arrangements so there is no guess work about how long your attorney will stick around before asking for more money or having to worry about the price changing.  The average price of a felony case can range from $1,500 to $15,000 excluding a trial and investigation costs.  We accept many cases in the $2,000 – $4,000 range and payment plans are available.  We will do everything we can to work with you and occasionally will take cases pro bono or remain on a case pro bono. You have nothing to lose by contacting us as your initial phone consultation is free.

The best result is always a dismissal. While a dismissal cannot be achieved in every case, we approach all cases with that in mind first. And, that means we need to know your side of the story, not just what the police reported as what happened.  In some instances, we have been able to prevent charges from ever being filed with the District Attorney.  In other cases, charges have already been filed, but we have gotten the case dismissed.  Sometimes early and thorough investigation is the key, while in other instances the filing various legal motions results in success.  Often negotiating the pros and cons of a case can lead to a dismissal or a very favorable outcome.  Each approach varies on the type of work that needs to be done.  A simple possession of marijuana or meth case will not entail nearly as much work as a murder case, but it can if the circumstances call for it, especially if you are not a United States citizen.  We just cannot know until we speak with you about it in detail.  Give us a call and find out for yourself.  We are here to help.

All too often clients will call us after hiring an attorney or law office who told them what they wanted to hear and made them false and/or unrealistic promises before ever reading a single page of discovery.  An honest lawyer will not guarantee you anything before reading and investigating your case and consulting with you, the district attorney’s office and/or the court. A good lawyer may however be able to gauge the seriousness of your case and give you a possible range of outcomes and possibilities of success after a detailed consultation.

We will always be honest with you about what to expect and tell you what you need to hear so we can prepare to fight as a team.  Obviously we cannot and will not guarantee a particular outcome in your case, but we can give you a pretty good idea of what to expect based on our experience with a particular type of case and the evidence involved.  Keep in mind though that every case depends on its own facts and circumstances.

For example, a person charged with sales of meth (methamphetamine) or sales of cocaine may in fact be a drug user that needs drug treatment but was charged with sales of a controlled substance or transportation of a controlled substance while possessing an eight ball for personal use.  However, California law will not allow a person convicted of drugs sales to get a drug use program.  Depending on the specifics of your case, it may be possible to get the drug sales charge(s) dropped for a more favorable lesser offense and settle the case on a personal use charge allowing the client to get a drug treatment program and an eventual dismissal of charges if the program is successfully completed.  A proposition 36 or PC 1000 class offers such possibilities.  In other instances we have challenged the validity of the search and seizure that led police to discover the drugs in the first place and have successfully had the evidence suppressed leading to charges being dropped or the case dismissed altogether.  See our case results for examples of prior case successes.  Again, this is not always the case, far from it.  But, we have been successful many times in these types of negotiations and dispositions.

Contact us for a free initial phone consultation or schedule an office visit.

How do I know which attorney is right for me?
One of the most important factors in hiring a criminal defense lawyer, besides his/her qualifications, is whether you can count on this person as your gladiator, spokesperson and teammate. Remember that you and your lawyer will be in this together from beginning to end.

Do you feel comfortable with this person or do you feel that you are just being told what you want to hear versus what you need to hear? Trust your instincts. If you feel like something is off or just not right, call someone else and a get a second consultation before hiring them.

Also, do not let price alone influence your decision. If you feel like the price is too good to be true for the work required, then it probably is. To be sure, question your lawyer on his abilities and experience with the type of case you have. Ask if they have handled your type of case before and what prior case results they have accomplished. If the lawyer is comfortable talking to you and you to them, you may have a good match. But, do research on their background and qualifications.

In good standing with the State Bar of California?
You should always check the California State Bar Profile of a lawyer you are considering hiring:

• Is this person in good standing with the bar? Have they ever been disciplined?
• How long ago were they admitted to practice law in California?

All licensed California lawyers will be listed at www.calbar.ca.gov. You can search for a lawyer by their name or bar number.  Click to see Kory Mathewson’s state bar profile.

Experience Counts – has the attorney handled cases like mine?
It is important that your lawyer have trial experience, even if you do not wish to go to trial. Many lawyers fear trial and only want to settle your case. While the gross majority of cases will settle, they settle at various stages of litigation and for a myriad of reasons, sometimes on the day of trial.

• Has the lawyer tried cases before a jury, and won?
• What kind of cases has the attorney tried?

Effective settlement negotiation can only exist if a lawyer know what to expect at trial, how far to push a case forward and when to hold back. Your lawyer will not know whether it is wise or not pursue your case in front of a jury if they have never been there or rarely try cases. A good lawyer will be able to give you a good estimate of your chances at trial, and more importantly, he’ll be able to explain why you should or should not go forward to trial in simple terms that you can understand.  If the lawyer cannot communicate that to you, how can you expect them to communicate your innocence to a jury of 12 strangers?!  View our prior case results.

Will I be able to speak with my attorney regularly, or will I have to speak to his/her secretary?
At the Law offices of Kory Mathewson, you will have the attorneys’ direct number and cell phone so you always reach the attorney. Kory Mathewson answers his own phone (unless in court, in meetings or at the jails) and has his direct line forwarded to his cell when not in the office, and if he is unavailable, he will return your phone call as soon as he is available.

We do not like secretaries playing intermediary with our clients. When you hire us, you will get us – the attorney or attorneys – not staff.  The exception to this is for Spanish speaking clients. In the event that you speak Spanish, we will need to use our Spanish speaking assistant or our Spanish speaking colleagues to interpret.

You may or may not be surprised that the availability of many attorneys dissipates immediately after you pay them.  If you do your homework and are thorough in your research of your attorney, you can limit your exposure to these types of lawyers. We want what you want. We want to be able to reach you and for you to reach us throughout the tenure of your case. We believe that the more you know about your case, the less stress you have and the easier it is for both of us. To do that, we need to be in frequent contact with you and you with us. Only you know what happened in your case and your input is needed as the case progresses.