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Patrick Griffin
Criminal Defense · DUI / DWI Defense
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Freddie's Review
Patrick Griffin Put Numbers Into Jury Selection—Then Went Eight Trials Without a Loss
Most defense lawyers talk about reading a jury. Patrick Griffin wanted something more reliable than instinct alone. He developed a system that uses scaled questions and real-time scoring to expose potential bias before the first witness takes the stand. By 2025, he had gone eight consecutive trials without a loss after introducing it. The striking part is not the technology. It is what the system gives him back: the freedom to pay closer attention to people.
As prospective jurors answer questions, their responses are organized into a clearer picture of how strongly they may feel about alcohol, drugs, police officers, or an accused person. Griffin can then focus on eye contact, body language, and the conversation unfolding in the courtroom instead of trying to hold every answer in his head. In 2023, the California DUI Lawyers Association invited him to teach this approach to other defense attorneys at a statewide trial-practice conference.
One of its clearest tests came in the defense of a disabled Marine combat veteran facing felony DUI with injury, hit-and-run, and a false-report allegation. The potential sentence reached 14 years, and the collision had left another person paralyzed. Laboratory testing showed alcohol, marijuana, and Xanax in the veteran’s system.
The defense could not make those facts disappear. Instead, the trial lawyer had to persuade jurors to separate alarming numbers from reliable proof of impairment. Scaled questions helped identify prospective jurors with strongly negative views about alcohol and marijuana. In court, cross-examination exposed problems in the investigation, the prosecution’s toxicology expert acknowledged that drug levels alone could not establish impairment, and defense experts explained how PTSD treatment and prescribed medical marijuana affected the client’s baseline. Ten of the 12 jurors voted not guilty on the felony DUI charge. The judge dismissed that charge, and the client received probation on the hit-and-run.
That result captures how Griffin’s analytical method remains grounded in human judgment. His courtroom preparation began in Stetson’s nationally recognized trial-advocacy program. He has since handled more than 1,000 criminal matters and secured jury victories in every courthouse in San Diego County. His broader record includes complete felony acquittals, federal dismissals, and cases ended after unconstitutional searches were exposed.
The practice is deliberately personal as well. Griffin takes fewer cases so that the people who retain him work directly with the attorney responsible for strategy and trial preparation. The data does not replace that relationship; it reduces distraction and gives him more room to listen, observe, and prepare. Recognition from Forbes Advisor, repeated professional honors, and a 5.0-star Google rating across 105 reviews provide additional support for the reputation built in court.
For someone facing a criminal accusation, jury selection is not a preliminary formality. It can determine whether the evidence will be heard by people capable of evaluating it fairly. Griffin has treated that moment seriously enough to redesign his approach to it—and has structured his practice so the same lawyer who developed the method remains personally responsible for putting it to work.
That combination of experience, reputation, verified professional standing, and public credibility is why Patrick Griffin was included on FreddieFender.com.
Credentials
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Montana, 2006.
- Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, University of Montana, 2006.
- Juris Doctor, with honors, cum laude, Stetson University College of Law, 2010.
- Member of Stetson’s nationally recognized Trial Team.
- Regional champion in the ABA Advocacy Competition and recipient of the top individual score at the national competition.
- Stetson Honor Roll and Phi Delta Phi legal honors fraternity.
- Recipient of Stetson’s William Blews Award for Exceptional Pro Bono Service.
- Admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
- Member of the invitation-only Criminal Defense Lawyers Club of San Diego.
- Professional memberships include Appellate Defenders, Inc.; the San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association; the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; California Attorneys for Criminal Justice; the San Diego County Bar Association; the American Bar Association; Consumer Attorneys of San Diego; the San Diego Inn of Court; and the California DUI Lawyers Association.
Career Highlights / Proven Experience
Career Highlights
- Founder of an Attorney-Led Criminal-Defense Practice: Founded Griffin Law Office, APC, and intentionally maintains a focused caseload. Griffin has stated that clients who retain him work directly with him, allowing him to remain personally responsible for case strategy, preparation, and courtroom advocacy.
- More Than 1,000 Criminal Cases: Has handled more than 1,000 matters ranging from misdemeanors and DUI charges to federal prosecutions and first-degree murder. His published professional record includes hundreds of pretrial victories and jury-trial wins in every courthouse in San Diego County.
- More Than 100 Years of Incarceration Avoided: Griffin has achieved high-profile defense victories that collectively prevented his clients from serving more than 100 years in prison.
- Innovative Jury-Selection Strategy: Developed a data-informed method for identifying potential juror bias through scaled questions during jury selection. A 2025 professional feature documented eight consecutive trials without a loss after he began using the system.
- Statewide Trial-Practice Instructor: Presented “Better Jurors & More Cause Challenges: Utilizing Scaled Questions in Voir Dire” at the California DUI Lawyers Association’s 2023 statewide trial-practice conference.
- Early Courtroom and Federal Judicial Experience: Won his first jury trial before completing law school and served as a federal judicial intern for U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore, gaining direct exposure to judicial decision-making, legal writing, and courtroom persuasion.
- National and Legal-Media Authority: Has provided legal analysis connected to Good Morning America, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He has also been profiled twice by Attorney Journals, including its 2025 feature on his trial record and international federal-defense work.
- Sustained Professional Recognition: Included by Forbes Advisor among San Diego’s leading criminal-defense lawyers, selected to Rising Stars from 2021 through 2023, and recognized by The National Trial Lawyers among its Top 100 Trial Lawyers.
- Exceptional Public Feedback: Griffin Law Office holds a 5.0-star Google rating based on 105 reviews for its San Diego office.
Proven Experience
- International Surveillance Disclosure — United States v. Ayik et al.: Represented Alexander Dmitrienko in the only U.S. prosecution arising from Operation Trojan Shield, the FBI-led ANOM investigation involving more than 27 million intercepted messages and approximately 1,200 arrests worldwide. Griffin helped lead the defense litigation challenging the operation and obtained disclosure of the previously unidentified foreign government that assisted with the global interception program.
- Complete Felony Domestic-Violence Acquittal: Defended a client against multiple felony counts involving domestic violence, assault, false imprisonment, and child endangerment. Griffin used conflicting witness accounts, text messages, evidentiary arguments, and cross-examination of the investigation to secure not-guilty verdicts on every count.
- 73-Pound Methamphetamine Case Dismissed: Defended a client facing as many as 19 years in prison after deputies discovered approximately 73 pounds of methamphetamine. At the suppression hearing, Griffin established that the deputy unlawfully prolonged a traffic stop to conduct a narcotics investigation. The court suppressed the evidence, and the prosecution dismissed the entire case.
- Two Federal Drug-Importation Cases Dismissed: Secured complete dismissals in two separate federal cases involving more than 20 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in spare-tire compartments. Each client faced a ten-year mandatory minimum. Griffin developed detailed “blind mule” defenses through investigation in the United States and Mexico, concealment experts, and evidence addressing the clients’ lack of knowledge.
- Workplace-Threat and Assault-Weapon Charges Dismissed: Represented a client accused of criminal threats, battery, and possessing and transporting an assault weapon. Prosecutors believed the client was planning a workplace shooting and offered an eight-year prison sentence. Griffin’s investigation uncovered video evidence contradicting the allegations, and every charge was dismissed after the preliminary hearing.
- First-Degree Murder Charges Eliminated in Two Cases: In one nationally publicized prosecution, Griffin obtained dismissal of the murder and related weapons charges, with the matter resolving as involuntary manslaughter without a strike conviction. In another case carrying potential exposure of 25 years to life, he secured the client’s release on bail and dismissal of the first-degree murder charge before the matter resolved as voluntary manslaughter.
- Military Career Protected: Represented an active-duty Navy sailor facing residential-burglary charges, two strike-level assault charges, child-cruelty allegations, six years in prison, and the possibility of a dishonorable discharge. The client received probation without custody, and the case was later reduced to a misdemeanor and expunged.
- Teacher Acquitted of DUI: Defended a teacher whose professional license and career were threatened by a DUI prosecution. After a full jury trial, Griffin obtained a not-guilty verdict.
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