Sara Caplan

Sara Caplan is a highly experienced criminal defense attorney (over 30 years). She also handles many dependency court and immigration matters. She was previously Of Counsel to Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro; and was co-counsel with Robert Shapiro for 14 years. She is currently working as co-counsel with Robert Shapiro on several criminal cases as well as her own case load. She is a criminal defense trial attorney (state and federal); professional administrative hearings (e.g., medical, dental, nursing, and real estate boards) and many immigration matters. Ms. Caplan has been involved in many complex and high-profile cases in juvenile, state and federal courts. She has always handled a high volume of cases and has extensive courtroom experience. Many cases have involved very complicated white-collar criminal fraud schemes, scientific evidence such as DNA and toxic environmental waste matters, as well as psychiatric and sociological issues. She maintains excellent relationships with many judges, prosecutors and private attorneys. Ms. Caplan has handled many types of immigration matters, including alien petitions for temporary and permanent residency (based on marriage, labor, special ability, asylum and Torture Convention claims, etc.) and adjustments (through the Service and in Immigration Court). She has successfully litigated several Immigration court cases, mainly asylum and withholding of removal cases for immigrants originating in the republics of the former Soviet Union and Indonesia. She has done many merits hearings before many of the Immigration judges in the Los Angeles Immigration Court, as well as handling appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals.