Valerie Ross, Attorney

I grew up in Connecticut. My dad owned a private mental hospital. When I was 19, I dropped out of college and hitch-hiked around Europe for about a year. I then came to California where I went to college and law school at the same time. Before settling in the Victorville area, I rode my horse across California, camping with my horse in fields by the side of the road or in someone’s back yard.

I like being a lawyer. I am not only fascinated by the legal issues but also by the human issues. I see my job as figuring out the best way to tell my client’s story.

After years of experiences, I have developed 5 rules for myself that I apply to the way I tell my client’s story, whether I am talking to a jury in a criminal case, a judge who is deciding the fate of my client’s children in a dependency case, or a law and motion judge to whom I am arguing a motion to suppress evidence, or a judge deciding divorce issues. I call these rules “the 5 C’s.”

The 5 C’s

Rule #1: Be clear

In presenting my client’s case, the story I present must be clear and readily understandable, whether I am talking to a judge or a jury. I am very good at finding the clarity in what at first appears to be confusing.

Rule #2: Be concise

The most readily understandable defense or explanation can be said in a few words.

Rule #3: Be consistent

Being consistent goes hand-in-hand with being clear and concise. Don't leave loose ends unexplained.

Rule #4: Be committed.

Commitment to my client’s case can be felt by a jury or a judge. The importance of this rule was driven home to me in a recent criminal trial where the deputy district attorney prosecuting my client told the jury in final argument, “You might find it easier to convict the defendant of Count 2, as opposed to Count 1.” The prosecutor was demonstrating his lack of commitment. Needless to say, the judge released my client right from the courtroom after many months in custody after the jury verdict.

Rule #5: Be compelling.

The way I tell my client’s story is what being an attorney is all about. I seek elegance. The more sense my client’s story makes, told in the simplest, clearest way possible, the more elegant it is.

Available 24 Hours

When I say I am available 24 hours a day, I actually mean it. I have a regular office but I don’t have a land line. I use a cell phone. I always try to answer my phone except when I am in court. If I don’t catch your call immediately, I will get back to you shortly. I don’t have an answering service which would then have to hunt me down and ask if I want to take a call. I answer my own phone. Answering my own phone and answering it all hours helps me address problems as they come up. I can advise a client who gets a call on a Saturday morning from a cop who wants to talk to the client or advise a mom who has a social worker at her door or a wife whose husband has just been arrested or a dad whose ex-wife refuses to let the children visit him. Or, sometimes, a client who
works all day only has time to talk about his case in the evening.

Attorney’s Fees

When you retain me, you will know exactly how much my fees are going to be for your entire case. I have enough experience to be able to estimate the time and effort I will need in order to do your case from start to finish. If it takes me longer, you do not pay more.

The People Who Help Me Help You

Princess Ashle

Ashle Machado is my assistant and so useful to me, I call her Princess Ashle. She is young, whip-smart and experienced. She not only helps me with the family law cases, but also with the criminal and dependency cases, as well as my writs and appeals. She does the office accounting and is constantly devising new ways to help make everything run as smooth as possible.

Leroy Milton, Private Investigator
MPI Investigations

I utilize the services of Milton Private Investigations (MPI) in my criminal cases and some family law cases. A good investigator is hard to find and now that I have found Milton, I cannot imagine working with anyone else.

For example, the first case I ever did with Milton was for a man charged with four counts of attempted murder. I was retained only a few weeks before trial after the defendant had become dissatisfied with his first lawyer. I got Milton right on the case. By the time we went to court for the first time, Milton had interviewed all the witnesses. When we gave the prosecutor the witness statements, she dismissed all the attempted murder charges.

Having a good investigator makes a big difference in the way an attorney can present a case.

MPI’s fees are in addition to the fees I charge, but, like my fees, MPI’s fees are always very reasonable.