Michael L. Chastaine

Attorney Michael L. Chastaine is the founder and owner of Chastaine Law Office (now Chastaine | Jones) in Gold River, California. Widely regarded as one of the top trial attorneys in his region as well as the entire country, Mr. Chastaine focuses his practice solely on criminal defense, and he has achieved a long record of success advocating on behalf of clients throughout Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado counties and the surrounding areas of Northern California who stand accused or are under investigation for any type of felony or misdemeanor offense.

Over the course of his more than 36-year legal career, Mr. Chastaine has established himself as leading criminal defense attorney, particularly in the area of sex crimes, and he has represented the rights of adult and juvenile clients alike before various state and federal courts across his region as well as before professional licensing boards. In addition, he has extensive experience handling appeals, and he has gained a reputation for going above and beyond his clients' expectations to help ensure they obtain the most favorable outcomes possible.

Prior to establishing his own private practice, Mr. Chastaine worked for more than a decade as a deputy public defender for Santa Clara County, and he served with county's Alternate Defender Office for five years before serving of counsel with another prominent area law firm. Along with providing effective defense counsel for the accused, he also assists with record clearance matters and helping his clients avoid having to register as sex offenders.

In addition to maintaining a successful legal practice, Mr. Chastaine is also the author of several reference books involving criminal law, which earned him the Legal Excellence Award for Literary Distinction. He has also hosted a local weekly radio show, where he offers in-depth legal commentary on a variety of topics. He also holds the distinction of having won five jury trials in a row, and he has served as counsel for several reported cases.

A 1982 graduate of California State University at Hayward, Mr. Chastaine completed a summer program at Magdalen College in Oxford, England. He then returned to the U.S. and obtained his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1985. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California.

Active in his legal community, Mr. Chastaine is a member of the Sacramento County Bar Association and The State Bar of California as well as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, California Public Defenders Association and the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, where he once served on the board of governors.

Mr. Chastaine has earned consistent recognition from The Best Lawyers in America and the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys, and he received designation as one of the Top 100 DUI Attorneys in Northern California for 2018. He has also received Superb, 10 out of 10 client ratings on Avvo