Contact

Erik Friis

Superior Law Center

2667 Camino del Rio South, Suite 304-1

San Diego, CA 92108

619-743-9130

www.superiorlawcenter.com

I’ve always wanted a chance to make a difference in the lives of others. Simply stated, my overriding goal as a San Diego DUI and criminal defense attorney is to zealously defend those who make mistakes, while providing compassionate support and unyielding representation to achieve the best possible outcome. I provide a lifeline to my clients facing life-altering charges by encouraging them to participate in mental health or substance abuse counseling, which can result in dismissed charges or alternative sentencing regimens,” says Erik A. Friis, Founder of San Diego-based Superior Law Center.

Friis formed the firm in 2008. He has two associate attorneys, Thomas Moller and Daniella Smigielski and one paralegal, Clarissa Melgosa. His practice focuses on San Diego County DUI defense and California state criminal defense. Approximately half the cases the firm handles are DUI-related and the other half are a mixture of other criminal cases. Superior Law Center also handles some federal criminal cases and represents active-duty military personnel and veterans.

“I have a hard time passing judgment on people and I believe in second chances. I believe that everyone makes mistakes and that a criminal charge should not define a person’s entire life,” Friis says.

Thanksgiving Day

Friis is known for his willingness and ability to go to extraordinary lengths, if necessary, in service to his clients, a commitment proven in a recent case. His client faced a jury trial in which he was charged with assault with intent to commit rape, making criminal threats and dissuading a witness. The case involved three separate alleged victims (one alleged victim for each charge). DNA evidence and copious amounts of incriminating text messages made the case appear open and shut at first glance. The offer from the prosecution to resolve the case involved four years of state prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Sexual assault cases are notoriously difficult to win for criminal defense attorneys, but the client professed his innocence and was not willing to accept registration for life as a sex offender. He was 26 years old at the time of the incident. Accepting the offer would have obviously had a significant and highly detrimental effect on the young man’s future. Friis worked tirelessly to develop a defense theory to overcome the prosecution’s case. The trial took place two weeks before Thanksgiving. The alleged victims were not credible for various reasons. Additionally, Friis elicited testimony that further weakened their credibility. 

The jury was hopelessly hung and the prosecutor later agreed to dismiss the intent to commit rape, charge thereby saving the client a prison sentence and registration as a sex offender. The criminal threats charge was dismissed due to insufficiency of evidence. The client was released to the embrace of his mother and was able to celebrate Thanksgiving with her. The client and his mother cried, hugged Friis, and expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the best Thanksgiving present they ever received. 

Much of his drive to succeed in court (and business) relates to his upbringing where he was required to justify every decision to his parents and to fight for what he wanted. Friis grew up in an environment and during a time when things had to be earned. As a child and an adolescent, he resented that. As an adult, he realized they his parents had given him an incredible gift: the intense desire to fight for what he thought was right or just and also the habit of constantly arguing or lobbying for what he wanted in a constructive manner. “This mindset made me feel at home arguing for justice and fairness for my clients, ensuring every client receives a fair trial and that the government adheres to proper procedures in protecting constitutional rights. I truly enjoy defending those that don’t know how to advocate for themselves, ensuring they are reasonably searched or seized, and guaranteeing them effective counsel.” 

Matching Strength with Kindness

Friis believes in exceptional communication with his clients and invests considerable time interviewing and getting to know their behaviors, interests, concerns and fears. He contracts with psychologists, psychiatrists, substance abuse counselors or other mental health specialists to humanize those clients and explain their behavior. He believes if there is an explanation for the aberrant behavior, there is usually a remedy to the aberrant behavior, which will make a prosecutor or judge feel comfortable that the client will be able to be safe to the public. “Success is driven by empathy and understanding the client’s goals, not just your legal knowledge. It is of paramount importance to bend over backwards to create a relationship, break the ice, discuss personal things the client is involved in,” he says. 

Friis says, “You don’t have to sacrifice advocacy by being nice.” His associates say he is known as “good people” and a “straight shooter” around the court and in the legal community. Friis is diligent about making a conscious effort to be kind and respectful to judges, prosecutors, other defense attorneys and court staff. “Kindness, however, should not be confused with weakness, because I am a fierce advocate for my client.” When the client’s case is closed, he explains that although the contractual relationship is over, the client may call any time with questions or clarifications. Sometimes, clients call years later with updates on their rehabilitation.

One of Friis’ strengths is paying intense attention to detail having learned early on to take every piece of evidence with a grain of salt and to fully investigate every event or situation to get a comprehensive picture. For example, he had a case in which the officer’s stated reason for stopping their client was failure to stop for a posted stop sign. The client insisted there was no posted stop sign and when Friis investigated, he found his client was right. In addition, he checked with the city traffic engineer and confirmed that there never was a stop sign at that location. The case was quickly resolved in his client’s favor.

Friis enjoys the high-stakes, competitive nature of the courtroom, the necessity to think on his feet, where split second decisions can affect the outcome of an adversarial proceeding, and the intense joy of receiving an acquittal, a hung jury or a dismissal against all odds or after winning based on what the opponent deems an absurd argument.

San Diego is home to a huge military family and Friis has helped hundreds or thousands of active-duty military personnel or veterans rehabilitate their lives, which is a powerful way to thank them for their service. “It is an incredible feeling to be told repeatedly that I have changed a life for the positive, assisted in helping someone with mental health or substance abuse issues finally get the help they need, saved a relationship, or saved a career,” he says. 

Building on Referrals

Friis advises attorneys opening their own firms to build upon a base of solid referrals. It’s a recommendation he has followed from the beginning. “You cannot be in business unless you have referrals. Figuring out how to receive referrals is key to driving in cases in the first place. Referrals can be marketing based, relationship based, reputation based or a combination of all three. Once those cases come in the door, successful results and relationships with clients are key to receiving additional referrals from former clients and others in the community.” 

Experience and a deep knowledge within his practice areas are what attract referrals on a regular basis. Friis has practiced criminal law for 30 years, limiting himself to DUI and criminal defense for the last 28 years. Unlike some of his competitors, he has never been a prosecutor and has focused on criminal defense his entire career, developing a deep knowledge of DUI and criminal law that referring attorneys may not handle regularly or that referring attorneys may not handle at all. Friis understands the value of maintaining a two-way street when it comes to referrals. “I know how important it is for an attorney to be knowledgeable about the specific area of law the attorney practices. Therefore, when clients ask me for referrals to family law attorneys, personal injury attorneys, wills and trust attorneys, or other litigation attorneys, for example, I want to refer my clients to competent attorneys in those fields. I am always looking for partners to exchange referrals.” 

A proven track record of success is another reason for his large number of referrals. Friis has handled thousands of cases in all stages of proceedings. He has negotiated incredible results resulting in plea bargains, saved clients from prison or jail, saved clients’ driving privileges, saved clients’ careers and livelihoods, litigated legal issues resulting in favorable rulings, filed innumerable motions that resulted in dismissals of clients’ cases and received acquittals and hung juries following jury trials. 

Friis says, “Going to jury trial is extremely valuable because it lets an attorney know the true value of each type of case, for example, domestic violence, where it might not be apparent from a review of the discovery. I have been told so many times by clients that ‘you saved my life.’ I have more than 400 five-star reviews on Google, most of which have been obtained in the last five years.” 

Friis and his team take on cases that referring attorneys must decline due to conflict of interest, such as codefendant cases, ensuring the referring attorney that all clients receive high-quality representation. Although his firm’s representation is focused on San Diego County, Friis receives referrals from the Murrieta area in Riverside County, and provides service to other courts in Imperial County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Orange County, where a referring attorney may not want to go. 

The firm offers ethical fee sharing agreements in accordance with the State Bar. Referring attorneys can receive monetary compensation for sending a client to his firm. 

Outside the Office

Friis leads a balanced life once he locks the office door at the end of the day. Regular exercise gets him outside and away from a business lifestyle that can easily become sedentary. He runs five miles three times a week, particularly on the Shelter Island area of Point Loma. He has participated in countless 10ks and half marathons over the years, including the Triple Crown on multiple occasions. He rides his bicycle another three to four times per week and he lifts weights two times a week. Friis says he likes to exercise near water, whether it be a lake or the ocean, because water is soothing. “Exercise helps relieve the stress of our profession. I have solved many problems in my life while running. For those problems I can’t solve, running helps me to be more accepting of the difficulty.” 

He is a partial season ticket holder for the Padres and enjoys going to Padres games on a regular basis. Friis also enjoys traveling to new places and new experiences whenever possible. He recently went to the Mexico City series vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has recently visited the Philippines, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Alaska and most recently Mexico City, and 15 of the nation’s 45 national parks. 

His musical tastes lean to 80s alternative music and he has recently attended concerts for The Cure, Depeche Mode, Devo, Motley Crue and Fleetwood Mac. Friis has lived in San Diego County since 1993, when he enrolled at California Western School of Law. He has a long-term girlfriend/partner and has three children, two of whom are adults.

Leading a balanced life prepares solid ground for his and his firm’s future. “I am gearing up for a serious sexual assault trial that should take place later this year. I believe there are credibility issues with the alleged victims, and my client looks forward to vindication. As far as my business goes, I plan to do the same things that I have been doing in the last five years, which has involved a continued expansion of my firm. I plan to continue to learn my craft, educate myself and continue to become a better attorney.”



» Education

• University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A. in Psychology, 1992
• California Western School of Law, J.D., 1997

» Bar Admissions

• State Bar of California September, 1997
• United States District Court for the Southern
  District of California January, 1998
• United States Court of Appeals for the
  Ninth Circuit, July 1998 

» Associations 

• Criminal Defense Bar Association
• San Diego County Bar Association
• State Bar of California
• Better Business Bureau 

» Awards

• 400+ 5 Star Reviews on Google
• Justia Top Rated Lawyer 10/10 
• BBB Rating A+