Criminal Defense
Keith defends all types of criminal cases, both Misdemeanor and Felony, serious felonies, probation violations, juvenile matters, DUI cases and related matters. Keith works to minimize any criminal liability and also minimize the disruption to you and your family's lives. Keith travels throughout the state on behalf of a growing client base comprised of people who refuse to work with any other attorney. Drug cases are one of Keith's specialties.
DUI: Driving Under the Influence
DUI cases are common, whether they involve alcohol, prescription drugs or other substances. Prior convictions or cases involving injury can lead to felony DUI charges and possible "Strike" allegations.
Law enforcement officers receive lots of specialized, formal and in-field training to pursue DUI cases. They have "DUI Investigation Manuals", field sobriety tests, preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) devices, breathalyzer machines, gas phase chromatography testing, alcohol conversion charts, and recourse to government-paid forensic experts when needed. As a result, you need an attorney who understands the complexities of such resources. That attorney will have the tools to dismantle the prosecution's case using law, science, facts, witnesses, offensive and defensive legal maneuvers, and essentially do whatever is possible to shield you and protect your rights every step of the way. Keith Cope is that attorney, and best of all, he cares about his clients--not just their money. His goal is to work the entire system to put you back in control and in the best position to move forward with your life.
Cannabis Industry Consulting
Keith is a known leader in advising California's growing cannabis industry. He works with lobbyists and legislators at all levels to influence the law; he's helped draft referendums and voter initiatives; he's intimately familiar with California's recently-enacted MCRSA and Voter Initiative Proposition 64, the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative (also known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, or AUSA) a series of laws that create a complex regulatory scheme requiring professional legal consultation and work. He has saved growers, manufacturers, and distributors literally millions of dollars by preventing crop and product confiscations. His method is to put you in the right place, armed with the right tools, to function legally at all levels of cannabis distribution. He works routinely to produce and revise corporate operations, documents, and regulatory compliance in order to provide the highest levels of service to his clients in this area.
California is definitely in another transitional period in this area, which in turn requires Cannabis Industry lawyers to maintain comprehensive, global approaches to protecting clients from serious criminal liability; efficiently working through mazes of ever-changing regulations at both local and state levels, and in every way helping clients achieve their industry goals. Keith is the lawyer to have in this area, not just for his knowledge, solid perspective and strategies, but because he puts it all together like few others can. Cannabis is an industry requiring business acumen and experienced legal support. Mistakes in this area can make it very hard to recover. Let Keith guide you--you'll be glad you did.
Medical Cannabis
For years Keith has served the Medical Cannabis community by defending felony criminal charges, setting up legal cannabis collectives, dispensaries, and distribution operations statewide. Keith has had tremendous success in preventing government confiscations of cannabis by creating and exercising "offensive tactics" which legally protect clients from wrongful government intervention.
Keith has saved many, many people from going to Federal Prison, California State Prison, and numerous county jails by combining his prosecution experience with his defense experience and expert negotiation strategies, all the while keeping on the cutting edge of constantly changing state and municipal regulations regarding growth, distribution, and use of Medical Cannabis. In all, the best defense is a great offense. Keith knows how to put things together to protect you and your loved ones. If you grow, process, manufacture, transport, or distribute cannabis products of any type, you need Keith on your side--the sooner the better.
Nuisance Abatement
Local governments--counties and cities--often use "nuisance abatement" programs to destroy medical cannabis you may have a right to cultivate. For over seven years Keith has defended clients statewide against these programs, winning nearly every case. In doing so, he has saved his clients untold dollars in crop destruction, in addition to saving them over a million dollars in fines, administrative costs, abatement fees and also preventing property liens.
Nuisance abatement citations are not to be ignored, and should never be handled on your own. Go in with an experienced attorney who gets results. Keith can capably defend you, your crop, your property, and your rights.
Corporate
An expert draftsman and published legal author, Keith custom tailors contracts, operations manuals, bylaws, and all forms of corporate documents as needed. He has defended numerous civil cases arising in the corporate arena. He consults as well, offering proven business-development strategies learned from years representing corporations and litigating their interests when needed.