With the growing awareness of the importance of mental health and the prevalence of mental illnesses, it has become imperative for legal professionals to understand how to defend those suffering from behavioral or mental disorders in the courtroom. As the winner of the high-profile Big Sur mental health case in 2018, California Mental Health and Criminal Defense Attorney Kenneth L. Rosenfeld has demonstrated what the exemplary defense of individuals with mental health issues looks like. Through his masterful, well-reasoned defense, Rosenfeld managed to get the case dismissed, ensuring no time in prison for his client.
In the aforementioned case, a California man (“JTK”) had attacked an on-duty firefighter with a shotgun. Seven years prior to the incident, JTK had suffered brain damage after an accident in which he was electrocuted and spent 100 days in a medically induced coma. Rosenfeld proved his mettle as a mental health defense lawyer by successfully showing that his client was suffering from a manic episode and having a mental breakdown. Rosenfeld negotiated a plea bargain that ensured JTK would receive treatment at a mental health facility instead of life in prison.
The lessons Rosenfeld illustrated through the JTK case will be valuable for future attorneys seeking to specialize in mental health defense. By understanding that mentally ill defendants must be tried and defended differently, mental health defense lawyers will adopt different strategies from the standard defenses used by most attorneys. As Rosenfeld demonstrated, the most important goal for mental health defense lawyers is pushing for treatment instead of jail time. People with mental illnesses deserve access to the best of care instead of punitive measures that will not solve their problems. Through a determined and decisive mental health defense, the accused who suffer from mental illnesses can receive fair treatment in court.
In addition to mental health defense, Rosenfeld’s specialties in law include juvenile defense, criminal defense, appellate defense, and white-collar crime defense. He is known for his work as a federal crimes attorney, violent crimes attorney, and high-profile celebrity criminal defense lawyer. His training and expertise in law have led to his memberships in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the American Bar Association. He has been admitted to practice law by the State Bar of California and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Northern Districts of California.
His law firm, The Rosenfeld Law Firm, is headquartered in Sacramento but also has offices in San Jose and Riverside County. The firm has aided clients all throughout California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Through his seasoned, tenacious defense, Rosenfeld has established himself as one of the best trial lawyers in the country who has only one goal on his mind after taking a case: victory. His long string of successes in high-profile cases has earned him a spot on the Super Lawyers list for four consecutive years (2021–2024).
At the end of the day, Rosenfeld has always held to a simple but poignant philosophy for each of his cases, whether they are related to mental health issues or not. “It’s about strength and how strong your defense attorney is and how hard they are going to fight for you; the stronger one wins.”
