The Law Offices of Jacqueline Goodman

Choosing an Attorney is, and should be a defying moment in your life. The right attorney will be your voice. Especially when you are left speechless by the unfairness of the laws that were put in place to protect. The law has a language of it’s own, you need someone that can translate it on your behalf. Sometimes as we evolve, words take a different meaning, and what meant something then, has an entire different meaning today. It’s critically important to have an attorney that is not afraid to challenge it and to find the real intention and apply it to the present. You need someone on your side when you are dealing with arrogant DA’s that are more interested in being right than in doing what’s right. Prosecutors have the power to destroy your life, and many times do, and joke about it, I’ve seen it and heard it. It’s sickening. Not just anyone can see through the fog like Ms. Goodman, not anyone has the sense of truth in their DNA like she does. She takes her cases to a level that will far exceed your expectations. She is a game changer, when she walks in the court room, you know something very special, super powerful walked in, it’s all the good stuff. That positive strength that comes from authentic compassion, determination for justice, with dedication and extraordinary work etic. You have it all, when you have Jacqueline Goodman fighting for you.
A friend of mine, and a client of Ms. Goodman’s was wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit. For a crime that did not happened in 1975 he was FORCED to register as a SEX OFFENDR. In almost 10 years he spent at least $ 100,000 trying to clear his name. A seasoned detective from Orange County told me to tell him, not to waste any more of his money. That my friend would NEVER be off Megan’s Law. He’s there for life he told me. I gave that detective Jacqueline Goodman’s business card. I told him to remember her name, that one day he will be off that registry because he is not a SEX OFFENDER, he WILL BE exonerated. With a smirk in his face, he chuckled and walked away.
My friend was put on Megan’s Law. A very important law to protect children. A law my friend and I support with our entire heart. You should know if there’s a sex offender lurking in your neighborhood. But what if you were on Megan’s Law by mistake and you were truly innocent? What if someone made a HUGE mistake, but no one wants to take responsibility for it? The day your face is posted on Maegan’s law, in that moment your life takes a turn for the very worst. I’ll high light what happened to my friend. First his children were affected. Having your Father on Maegan’s law was pretty bad. Their inner circle of friends is just a circle now, with zero friends in it. No sane parent will allow their children to visit a home with a REGISTER SEX OFFENDER, you can’t blame anyone for protecting their children, I’d do the same. Then his friends, you know, his support group, one by one they vanished. They all said they believed he was innocent, but they didn’t, I mean, would you? One night his restaurant is burned down, next he looses his job. Shortly after he loses his home, says goodbye to his family. Putting them through more intense humiliation and shame was something he could no longer bare. Now he is 60, his plan to retire with a nice nest egg in his home in La Jolla is gone. No one will hire him, no one will rent to him, basically no one wants him around. When your a register sex offender you are treated like the plague, a disgrace to society, garbage. He is now completely alone, jobless and homeless. He has lost EVERYTHING, for a crime he did not commit. I often wonder, if not for the DOJ’s mistake, what would his life be like today. The domino affect that damaged his name removed any possibility of a normal life, that’s a fact. But even as his life unraveled, he never lost hope.
When he met with Jacqueline Goodman, he told me he felt that she could finish what two other firms could not. He said, «She’s brilliant, tough, she’s driven». Jackie from the block, he called her. «She’s not going to give up on me, because her cases are an extension of her being, they are personal to her. She’ll go down fighting, I could feel it». He was right.
~Yesterday October 28, 2015 the Department of Justice called Jacqueline Goodman to let her know that her client was exonerated. He no longer is required to register. He should of NEVER been made to register~.
The years that were wrongfully taken from him, can never be restored. They are gone forever. His life was ruined, his spirit broken. Maybe the only good that will come out of this, is the realization that changes need to be made and in restoring justice, his case now paves hope for others that may be affected as well.
Jacqueline Goodman is an exceptional, extraordinary human, with an authentic desire for justice. That’s who she is, being an attorney is what she does, and she does it beautifully.

I have paid attorney Goodman over 5k for my case. Yes she kept me out of jail for my second dui but as soon as my last court date was finished she completely stopped helping me. I call in to speak with her or her assistant Sarah and I don’t receive a call back for days. My case summary information was all incorrect. Her staff informed me that a payment plan was developed for my case and it turns out that no payment plan was established and now I am past due!

I thought I was doomed to spend years behind bars after meeting with several other attorneys in the area. When I met Ms. Goodman to review my case and options, I knew I had a winner. My case had fairly straightforward punishment guidelines and I feared many years behind bars as a result. Facts of the case be damned, Ms. Goodman looks at the human in a person and communicates that effectively to those who matter in court. Being a first time offender and having many examples of being a «good kid,» Ms. Goodman was able to come up with a creative solution with the court that would not have normally been considered.
Ms. Goodman said that by the end of this I would either like her or love her. Ms. Goodman did above and beyond for my case and I definitely love her as a result!
Thanks to her, I will not be seeing the inside of a jail cell.

After paying her $ 1,000.00 in 2010, Ms. Goodman literally stopped helping me. She was very helpful and nice in my initial consultation, then when I paid her to take on my case, she became rude (yelled at me), uncaring (told me to stop bothering her), and almost impossible to reach. I had a case regarding my boyfriend and I going to jail for domestic violence. During my consultation I told her the complete story, all details and the complete truth. I also asked if SHE would promise to be the one to go to court for me because my brother had a bad experience paying for a lawyer and sadly my brothers lawyer sent his «interns» to court and things didn’t turn out well for my brother due to their lack of experience. Therefore, I wanted to make SURE the same thing didn’t happen to me. She assured me that SHE would be in court and it would be all her and not any interns. I found out this to not be the case. Within the week of getting her advice, paying her and having my ex still harassing me… I would call her up frightened and in a panic, asking her «He’s at my back door, what should I do?» and «Can you help me get a restraining order?» etc. Her replies were to yell at me on the phone and scream «I’M WITH MY FAMILY RIGHT NOW, STOP CALLING ME!!!» On many other occasions she would bark «THAT’S A CIVIL ISSUE. TALK TO YOUR CIVIL LAWYER ABOUT THAT!!!» However, as she was telling me that my «civil issues» were none of her business and to stop bothering her with them, I found out later she had been calling and talking to my incompetent civil lawyer, and was getting third party (inaccurate) information from her. I wonder, how and why a criminal lawyer can refuse to talk to me (the source and the person who was there during the entire dispute), but then have the time to talk to another lawyer about my personal event, (in which that other lawyer couldn’t get the details straight) … I find that baffling! After giving up on Ms. Goodman for help, I waited months for my first court date. I hadn’t heard anything from Ms. Goodman at all in in those months. I figured she was going to just continue to blow me off (as I am sure I wasn’t her top priority) and clearly she had already spent my $ 1,000.00 in which she refused to return to me. She claimed that; my «free» initial consultation, and a few 30 second phone calls warranted getting paid $ 1,000.00. She even went so far as to say in my invoice that the day I dropped off the retainer in her office (given to the receptionist in the lobby) was considered «billable hours».
Gosh, I didn’t understand why I was being charged so much money for having a defense attorney, to end up not be able to talk to her and not get ANY help from her after my initial «free» consultation. What was the point of hiring her? She never went to court for me, she had no intention of showing up, I was told by her staff that a «representative» of Ms. Goodman would be in court. A person I had never met before. So much for her promise to be the one in court for me. Additionally, she was nothing but angry and insulting towards me the more I called her for advice. If I had to do it all over again, I would NEVER have given this person any money. I was extremely poor and couldn’t afford these fees, but thought it would be best to get a professional rather than a public defender. (Big mistake) I am still to this day paying my parents back for these fees in which I received NO SERVICES beyond my initial free consultation. I feel that if someone promises to help you, then doesn’t, they should legally be required to give you BACK your money!!! It was like hundreds and hundreds of dollars was lit with a match. I don’t have that kind of money to be throwing away, and she knew it. I had to give up sooooooooo much to pay this retainer, and I got absolutely nothing in return. I couldn’t buy Christmas presents for my family that year, I couldn’t have a birthday celebration for my birthday, I couldn’t help out my daughter with her expenses when she needed me. It was a horrible year, and when I got angry and explained this to Ms. Goodman, she didn’t seem to care one bit. Instead she threw out insults and condemnation towards me. It was a horrible and awful and expensive experience. I would recommend that people do NOT ask her for help.
I know it’s been a while since my experience, but it still bothers me to this day because I’m still paying off this wasted debt. I also wanted to warn people, even if it took me a while to do it.

I officially hired Ms. Jacqueline today. She seems very knowledgeable and experienced in her field. I am really hoping she will come thru for me, especially because i feel i have a strong case and its my first offense. So for now i am going to give her 4 stars for all the help and advice she has given me. That one star will be added as soon as my court date is done, which is in less then a month. Wish me LUCK!

I was charged with assaulting a police officer while I was in the hospital as a suspected victim of sexual assault. To say that my faith in the legal system was damaged is an understatement. Then I met Ms. Goodman. I work in the legal profession and have worked with thousands of attorneys so I can tell you how rare it is to find such an honest and passionate attorney as Ms. Goodman is. She is absolutely amazing. She took care of everything for me and told me not to worry. She showed up to every court appearance and timely and precisely dealt with any issues of the case. When I showed up for one of the hearings, I able to see firsthand how well-​respected and well-​liked she is among other attorneys, judges, and the district attorneys. Thanks to her great relationship with the D.A.‘s office, she was able to get me a one-​on-​one meeting with the prosecutor. Two weeks later, on a Saturday nonetheless, Ms. Goodman called me from her home to tell me that my case had been dismissed and they were now going to go after the man that attacked me. I can never thank Ms. Goodman enough for her hard work and professionalism.

In 2007 I got myself into a huge predicament. I was a first time offender and I was facing 15+ years in prison. Jacqueline Goodman Rubio was referred to me by one of my mothers friends from church. This by far was the best referral I ever received in my life. I was facing transporting, large quantity of narcotics (400+ Lbs.), and hidden compartment charges. 3 HUGE felonies that would have ruined my life! Right away Jacqueline re-​assured me that we had a great case and she would be there by my side. Not only was she amazing in the court room but she was very friendly and comforting to me outside the court room. It almost felt like I was being defended by a life long friend. Needless to say Jacqueline did not disappoint. I only did 6 months in county, I didn’t even have to file as a drug offender, and I received a felony that was reduced to a misdemeanor after a year of good behavior on the streets. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you Jacqueline Goodman for all your hard work, dedication, and comfort. You are my Super Hero!!! :)