Navigate Here 
With an enviable record of trial victories over the past 13 years, California criminal defense attorney Darren T. Kavinoky is known throughout the country as one of the top lawyers in his area of practice. He has received constant praise from judges, law enforcement officials, prosecutors, colleagues and even the media; among them Los Angeles Magazine, which in 2005 and 2006, named him a “Super Lawyer Rising Star,” an honor reserved only for the top five percent of the lawyers in California. He also enjoys a coveted “AV®” rating in the Martindale Hubbell Registry, a peer review honor that singles out attorneys who are at the highest level of skill and integrity.
As founding partner of The Kavinoky Law Firm, with offices in Santa Monica, Riverside, Newport Beach, and headquarter facilities in Woodland Hills, Kavinoky oversees a staff of more than a dozen attorneys and 20 support personnel. Though best known for his work in handling drug and alcohol cases, he also defends the rights of those accused of other crimes, ranging from petty theft to murder. The Kavinoky client roster is broad and includes high profile individuals—such as the killer of Ennis Cosby (a case he took on until a public defender could be named), a former L.A. Sheriff’s Deputy, a Secret Service agent, and a nationally known radio and TV personality—to others less known. His experience and skill has led to numerous features in several publications.
Considered one of the leading experts who can deftly explain the many intricacies of criminal law, Kavinoky is regularly asked to comment on the high profile criminal cases of the day, and as such has been featured on many local and national television broadcasts including “Larry King Live,” Court TV, “Entertainment Tonight,” “The Insider,” (during both its weekly and weekend editions), the “Today Show” and “Celebrity Justice.” With respect to radio, Kavinoky has guested during talk segments on such Los Angeles radio stations as KFWB, KNX, KROQ, KLSX and KRLA, and on the East coast, he has appeared on Clear Channel Radio. Kavinoky has been sought out continuously by the Denver and Boulder, Colorado media to comment on the JonBenet Ramsey case, including the Daily Camera, Elites TV and KSYY. He has also become a regular commentator on KOA News Radio. Darren Kavinoky also has been quoted on numerous criminal-headline stories of the day in such publications as USA Today, The New York Times, Santa Monica Daily Press, The Baltimore Examiner, the New York Post, Men’s Health, Time magazine and CNN.com. In addition, Kavinoky has been used as a regular expert source by the Los Angeles Times, who quoted him most recently on the Mel Gibson drunk driving case.
In view of Darren Kavinoky’s popularity and his up-to-the-minute accounts of all the high profile cases of the day, in August 2006 he launched “The Kavinoky Report” (www.thekavinokyreport.com). This one page alert, sent to select local and national media outlets throughout the country, offers concise and insightful commentary on the criminal cases of the day as they develop. The alert also offers a thought provoking list of probing questions—specific queries Kavinoky puts before the media, in an effort to urge them to investigate certain aspects of their respective stories that they may not have thought of as they develop their pieces and flesh them out.
A prolific writer, Kavinoky also publishes much information on criminal defense and drunk driving issues in his magazine, The DUI Report. He also hosts and services several Web sites with postings and updates of valuable information for both legal practitioners and the general public. Kavinoky owns several entities that offer licensing of various website products to other attorneys throughout the country.
A graduate of the University of La Verne College of Law, where Kavinoky earned his juris doctorate in 1994, as well as a jurisprudence award, Kavinoky is active in a number of legal organizations and associations including the State Bar of California; the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (where he is a Life Member); the Association of Federal Defense Attorneys; the National College of DUI Defense; California Attorneys for Criminal Justice; the California DUI Lawyers Association; the Los Angeles County Criminal Courts Bar Association; the Criminal Law Inn of Court, Los Angeles Chapter; the Trial Practice Inn of Court, Los Angeles Chapter; the Ventura County Criminal Defense Bar Association; the Orange County Bar Association; the San Fernando Valley Bar Association; and the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Kavinoky is admitted to practice in both California state and federal courts.
Kavinoky donates countless hours to many organizations who assist those with addiction issues and rehabilitation needs including Liberty House, Genesis House and Herbert House. He also mentors men’s sober living environments to obtain expungements and other relief from past criminal convictions on a no-fee basis. Known for his generosity and as a fierce defender of constitutional rights, Kavinoky has handled numerous criminal cases on a pro-bono basis where there were significant issues that may not have been otherwise resolved or litigated.
Kavinoky’s expertise and successes have led to many national speaking engagements where he has spoken on a variety of topics, including the professional development of criminal defense lawyers. In addition, he regularly speaks to attorney groups and non-lawyers about DUI / DWI law, cross examination techniques, ethical issues in criminal defense and more. In his presentation of “Expungement 101” to residents of various sober living homes, Kavinoky teaches those with a criminal past how to clear their criminal records and begin a new direction in life. Other speeches Kavinoky has given over the years include “Ethical Issues in Criminal Cases” at the Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyers Association in Atlanta, Georgia; “The CEO Model: A Business Guide for Attorneys” at the DUI-DWI National Attorney Seminar in Los Angeles, California; “Jury Selection” at the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice Seminar in Tucson, Arizona; “Cross-Examination of the Arresting Officer” at the Minnesota DUI Seminar in Las Vegas, Nevada; and at Lawrence Taylor’s DUI Defense Seminar in Los Angeles, California; and “Handling the Media in a High Profile Criminal Case” at the Los Angeles County Bar Association in Los Angeles, California.
Ardent about gaining further knowledge about criminal law, Darren Kavinoky is continually obtaining certifications as a result of advance training. He has studied at the National College of DUI Defense at Harvard Law School and has attended that institution’s summer courses since 2001. He is also a certified instructor in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and International Association for Chemical Testing. Moreover, he has received certification from the College of Advocacy, Hastings Law School in San Francisco, California and has completed Mastering Statistic Evidence in Dallas, Texas and Breath Analysis Forensics at Florida International University.
Kavinoky began his career as a criminal defense attorney in 1994 as an associate with Floyd, Skeren & Kelly where he focused on all facets of criminal defense law. By 2001, Darren was the Managing Attorney of the Criminal Law Section of that firm, and in 2004 he became a named partner and supervised more than 30 attorneys.
Contact attorney Darren T. Kavinoky: DKavinoky@CaliforniaDUIHelp.com