Leslie

Leslie Prince, Esq.,

Of Counsel

Experienced Solano County Criminal Defense & Criminal Appeal Lawyer

Leslie Prince is a highly experienced and skilled attorney who has dedicated her career to handling criminal defense cases, direct appeals, and post-conviction cases (resentencing and other relief).  She has represented adult and juvenile criminal defendants in numerous trial level cases, and in appeals, by appointment of the courts, and privately, in both the state and federal courts.

As to post-conviction cases, there have been many legislative enactments and statutory amendments in recent years which have provided for reduced sentences and penalties in criminal cases and have provided a procedure for seeking resentencing and reductions in sentences for those who qualify for the ameliorative benefits of the new legislation.  Ms. Prince handles petitions for resentencing in various circumstances, including but not limited to those based on:

  • newly-enacted Penal Code section 1170.95 (SB 1437 & SB 775), which provides for resentencing for certain persons convicted of murder or attempted murder pursuant to the felony-murder rule or the natural and probable consequences doctrine;
  • the amendments to Penal Code 12022.5 and 12022.53 (SB 620), which gives the trial court discretion to strike gun enhancements;
  • the amendments to Penal Code section 667(a) and section 1385 (SB 1393), which gives the court discretion to strike the five-year prior-serious-felony-conviction enhancement;
  • newly enacted Penal Code sections 1171 and 1171.1, which invalidated most prior prison term and drug enhancements (SB 483 and SB 81);
  • newly-enacted Penal Code section 1170.03, which expands the right to resentencing and includes a presumption in favor or relief where the recall/resentencing recommendation is submitted by the CDC, the DA or other authorized party;
  • the recent amendments to Welfare and Institutions Code section 707, which now prohibits minors under the age of 16 from being transferred to adult criminal court (SB 1391); and
  •  the amendments to Penal Code sections 290, 290.5 regarding relief from sex-offender registration for certain offenders.

Ms. Prince also has extensive experience handling direct appeals, and petitions for writs of habeas corpus, mandate and/or review, in the California Appellate Courts, the California Supreme Court, and the Federal Courts.  This is a highly specialized area of law in which many criminal defense practitioners have little experience.  Ms. Prince routinely handles complicated criminal appeals, at the state and federal levels, achieving favorable outcomes for many of her clients.  Ms. Prince also handles other post-conviction such as expungements, certificates of rehabilitation, sealing of arrest records, and petitions for factual innocence.

Ms. Prince has been a panel attorney for the First District Appellate Project (“FDAP”) since that organization’s inception in the mid-1980’s.  FDAP works with the California Court of Appeal in the First Appellate District regarding the appointment of private attorneys to represent indigent criminal defendants on direct appeal.

Ms. Prince also represents both adults and juveniles at the trial level in all types of criminal matters, including but not limited to homicides, drug offenses, DUIs, assault and battery, domestic violence, theft crimes, and sex crimes.  Ms. Prince takes pride in obtaining the best possible outcomes for her clients.  She takes the time to discuss each stage of the proceedings with her clients, so that they are informed participants in their own cases.

Ms. Prince authored a chapter of the book Defense Strategies for Drug Crimes, which was published by Thomson Reuters/Aspatore in 2010. She has also taught continuing educational courses and seminars in the area of criminal appeals. Ms. Prince graduated from Hastings Law School in San Francisco in 1981. While in law school, Ms. Prince was a writer and editor for Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly, and worked as a judicial extern for the late California Court of Appeals Justice Sidney Feinberg, and as a research assistant for the late Hastings Law Professor Leo Kanowitz. Ms. Prince has been in private practice for over 35 years, and was a sole practitioner in Alameda County for over 10 years before coming to Solano County in 1994 to found the Law Offices of Russo and Prince, and is currently of counsel to that law firm.

Please see our VICTORIES page for more for a list of some of the successful outcomes in cases Ms. Prince has handled at the trial and appellate levels.

Areas of Practice

  • Criminal Defense - all felonies and misdemeanors, including:
    • Homicide (including manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and felony murder)
    • Robbery
    • Theft offenses (including embezzlement, shoplifting, larceny, fraud, armed robbery, burglary)
    • Assault / Battery
    • Domestic violence
    • DUI / DWI
    • Drug offenses
    • Sex offenses (including rape, statutory rape, child molest)
    • Child abuse & neglect
    • Property crimes
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • Criminal Appeals & Post-Conviction relief, including:
    • Federal appeals and State appeals
    • Direct appeals
    • Petitions for writ of habeas corpus. mandate, review and other collateral relief
    • Post-conviction resentencing (Penal Code section 1170.95 (SB 1437 & SB 775) [resentencing for murder or attempted murder per felony-murder rule or natural and probable consequences doctrine; Penal Code sections 12022.5 and 12022.53 (SB 620) [discretion to strike gun enhancements]; Penal Code sections 667(a) & 1385 (SB 1393) [discretion to strike five-year prior-serious-felony-conviction enhancement]; Penal Code sections 1171 and 1171.1, [invalidating most prior prison term and drug enhancements (SB 483 and SB 81); Penal Code section 1170.03 [expanding the right to resentencing and including a presumption in favor or relief in some circumstances]; Welfare and Institutions Code section 707 (SB 1391) [prohibiting minors under the age of 16 from being transferred to adult criminal court]; Penal Code sections 290, 290.5 [relief from sex-offender registration for certain offenders]; etc.)
    • Motion for new trial
  • Probation Violations
  • Expungement /Sealing of Records
  • Certificates of Rehabilitation
  • Petitions for Factual Innocence

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1983
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, 1997
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, 1985
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1991

Education

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California
  • UCLA, Los Angeles, California, 1978, Cum Laude

Contact Solano County Criminal Defense and Criminal Appeal Attorney Leslie Prince at (707) 427-6777 or by email today to schedule your free initial criminal defense or criminal appeal consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.  Please see our VICTORIES page for more information about Ms. Prince's trial and appellate victories for her clients.