Fred Thiagarajah

A graduate of USC Law School, Fred Thiagarajah served as a Deputy District Attorney for four years before opening up his own law practice and devoting himself exclusively to criminal defense.  As a prosecutor, Fred Thiagarajah handled almost sixty jury trials, dozens of appeals, and hundreds of evidentiary hearings, including preliminary hearings, suppression motions, and restitution hearings.   His trials included all types of criminal cases, including DUIs, domestic violence, drug crimes, shoplifting, forgery, assault, battery, resisting arrest, hit & run, child endangerment and sex crimes.  During his tenure at the District Attorney’s office, Fred Thiagarajah spent one year on the Domestic Violence division, where he prosecuted several hundred domestic violence cases.  He also spent six months in the Appeals unit, defending dozens of appeals.

Today, Mr. Thiagarajah is licensed to practice state law in California and federal law in the Central and Eastern Districts of California.  He has been an expert legal commentator on Fox News, featured on radio and quoted in newspapers across the nation, including the Orange County Register, the San Jose Mercury, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Diego Union Tribune and the New York Times.  He’s also been quoted in online news sites such as www.cbsnews.com and www.msnbc.msn.com, and has been featured by the American Bar Association Journal (www.abajournal.com), which is the largest legal publication in the country.

Not only is Mr. Thiagarajah passionate about serving his clients, but he is also an active member of non-profit organizations that give back to the community.  He has taken an active leadership role in the South Asian Bar Association, the largest legal organization of South Asian attorneys in North America.  His involvement includes:

North American South Asian Bar Association

    *  Co-Chair of the Criminal Law Section, 2009-2011

South Asian Bar Association of Southern California

    *  President-Elect, 2010-2011 

    *  Board Member since 2009

South Asian Bar Association Public Interest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization

    *  President, 2009-2010

Fred Thiagarajah is also a member of the following local and legal organizations:

    *  Orange County Criminal Defense Bar Association

    *  California Public Defender’s Association

    *  Los Angeles County Bar Association, Criminal Law Section

    *  Orange County Bar Association

    *  Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce