Stanley L. Friedman – Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney, Former Federal Prosecutor & Criminal Law Specialist
Stanley L. Friedman is a nationally recognized criminal defense attorney who represents healthcare professionals, executives, business owners, public officials, corporations, and high-profile individuals in complex federal and state investigations across the United States, with a primary focus in California and Nevada. A former federal prosecutor and Board-Certified Criminal Law Specialist, Mr. Friedman has built a career defined by high-stakes litigation, regulatory sophistication, and courtroom credibility at the highest levels.
With nearly four decades of legal experience, Mr. Friedman brings a rare dual perspective to every case: he has stood on both sides of the courtroom. That experience shapes the strategic approach he now uses to defend clients facing investigations, grand jury proceedings, search warrants, asset forfeiture actions, parallel civil enforcement matters, trial, and appeal.
Education and Early Federal Experience
Mr. Friedman earned his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from UCLA and his Juris Doctor from the USC School of Law. Early in his career, he served as a law clerk to a prominent United States District Court Judge in Los Angeles. From that judicial vantage point, he worked on major cases of national significance, including litigation connected to the economic impact of the 1970s oil embargo and prosecutions involving organized crime figures operating in California and Hawaii.
Following his clerkship, Mr. Friedman practiced at a major Los Angeles law firm representing securities firms, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and entertainment entities in investigations, trial litigation, and federal appeals. During this period, he was recognized for his role in a published and successful Ninth Circuit decision involving securities fraud.
Assistant United States Attorney – Major Frauds Section
Mr. Friedman was then appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division in Los Angeles. Assigned to the Major Frauds Section, he investigated and prosecuted high-dollar and complex fraud cases on behalf of the United States government.
At a time when the Department of Justice placed significant emphasis on healthcare fraud enforcement, Mr. Friedman prosecuted numerous healthcare fraud cases, along with matters involving bank fraud, bankruptcy fraud, securities fraud, commodities fraud, investment schemes, tax crimes, money laundering, insurance fraud, embezzlement, counterfeiting of United States currency and securities, customs violations, credit card fraud, and advance-fee schemes.
In two separate instances, he was appointed Magistrate for France and British Hong Kong to conduct investigations on their behalf. He also initiated and prosecuted extradition proceedings involving United States citizens and residents. His work in a complex nationwide insurance fraud case earned recognition from a Congressional Commission.
This prosecutorial foundation now informs his defense strategy. Having built federal cases, he understands how they are structured — and where they can be dismantled.
Founder of The Law Offices of Stanley L. Friedman
In 1995, Mr. Friedman founded his criminal defense firm to represent individuals and businesses facing government scrutiny. Since then, he has defended clients in matters involving alleged losses of millions, tens of millions, and even hundreds of millions of dollars.
He regularly represents clients in parallel proceedings in which criminal investigations intersect with civil or administrative enforcement actions. He has defended matters brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the California Fair Political Practices Commission, among others.
Mr. Friedman is listed as counsel in published decisions before the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, United States District Courts, and California Courts of Appeal.
Board-Certified Criminal Law Specialist
Mr. Friedman became a Certified Specialist in Criminal Law in 2005 through the State Bar of California’s Board of Legal Specialization. Certification requires rigorous vetting, examination, peer review, and demonstrated expertise in criminal law.
Specialists must recertify every 5 years. Mr. Friedman was certified in 2005 and recertified in 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2025. As a result, he has continuously maintained specialist certification from 2005 to the present — a distinction achieved by relatively few attorneys in California.
Beyond his personal certification, Mr. Friedman served for approximately seven years as a Commissioner on the State Bar Criminal Law Advisory Commission. During his tenure, he held leadership positions including Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Education Representative.
In that role, he helped draft and grade specialist examinations, reviewed applications for certification and recertification, and participated in deciding appeals from applicants denied specialist status. As Education Representative, he evaluated Continuing Legal Education materials and vetted CLE providers to determine whether their coursework met the high standards required for specialist credit — a responsibility entrusted to very few lawyers in the state.
This level of involvement reflects not only recognition of his expertise, but trust in his judgment to define and safeguard the standards of criminal law specialization in California.
Public Interest Litigation and Healthcare Advocacy
One of Mr. Friedman’s professional passions is public-interest healthcare litigation. In 2023, he successfully concluded a 15-year lawsuit against the State of California, resulting in a $3 billion benefit to Medi-Cal beneficiaries during the depths of the Great Recession.
In recognition of his efforts and results, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals awarded Mr. Friedman the largest public-interest attorney fee ever awarded in 2022 — a testament to both the magnitude of the recovery and the significance of the case.
National Recognition and Media Presence
Mr. Friedman has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2012, a distinction awarded to the top five percent of attorneys in each state. He has also maintained the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell since 2006, reflecting peer recognition of the highest levels of professional skill and integrity.
He has been recognized by numerous organizations, including The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers, U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firms for White-Collar Criminal Defense in California, The Best Lawyers in America, the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys, and the American Association of Attorney Advocates. The Los Angeles Business Journal honored him with its 2019 Healthcare Leadership Award (Trusted Advisor of the Year, first place) and previously recognized him as a finalist for its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mr. Friedman has been quoted or referenced in the media more than 200 times and has appeared on Good Morning America and The Today Show. He has also lectured at the USC School of Law on a variety of legal topics.
Admissions and Community
Mr. Friedman is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and all federal and state courts in California and Nevada. He maintains offices in Beverly Hills, Downtown Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
He has been married for over three decades and is a father and grandfather. He has received numerous community service awards and has served for more than twenty years as a board member and officer of a Jewish parochial school.
