Woodland Hills, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/19/2006 --California-based criminal defense law firm, The Kavinoky Law Firm, announces the hiring of a new attorney. Ralph Novotney recently joined the firm as an experienced criminal defense attorney and former law school professor.

Novotney’s was most recently employed as a professor at University of West Los Angeles School of Law. In that position, he taught Constitutional Law, Property and Criminal Law, among other classes. Additionally, he taught at San Fernando Valley College of Law University, West Los Angeles School of Law and Whittier Law School.

Before his career as a professor, Novotney had a successful 17-year career as a criminal defense trial and appellate attorney. He was an attorney of record in 50 criminal jury trials, including a death penalty case. He has also served as an attorney of record in more than 120 criminal appeals and writs.

As a trial attorney, Novotney enjoyed success in several cases of note including a case in which his argument resulted in the revision of the California criminal jury instruction regarding the crime of spousal abuse; a case resulting in the revision of the California criminal law jury instruction defining perjury by false written declaration; and the first case in Los Angeles County in which the prosecution proffered DNA evidence in a criminal trial. He also worked on a four-defendant death penalty case involving a ring of rock cocaine dealers in the northeast San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. In this highly-publicized case, four people were ambushed and killed at a rock cocaine house in Lake View Terrace. Novotney represented the reputed family hit man, Donald Smith.

In addition to his lengthy and successful career as a professor and practicing attorney, Novotney is a published author. He wrote an article for the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review regarding marital property, and he is currently writing a book and a law review article on the jurisprudence of Justice Clarence Thomas. The book is currently scheduled for completion this year.
“I’m so excited to have Ralph join us,” said Darren Kavinoky, founding partner of the firm. “His experience and skill as an attorney are invaluable assets to the firm and to our clients.”

Novotney received his law degree from the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1982, and he is admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Military Appeals, the Central District California Court and the U.S. Tax Court.



For more information, contact Angie Rupert, (818) 346-4646.
Prepared by Angie Rupert.