Michael Rains
Encyclopedia
Michael Rains is a California
criminal defense attorney
known for representing police accused of misconduct, including the case of the BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant
and a successful defense of the Oakland Riders. Rains also won acquittal of the Corcoran 8, prison guards accused of staging fights amongst inmates. He formerly represented baseball player Barry Bonds
in his pending perjury
trial.
Rains is a California State University, Long Beach
graduate who served in the Vietnam War
with the U.S. Marines. Working as a former Santa Monica
police officer, he won a scholarship to attend Golden West University School of Law, and became a member of the California bar in 1979. His Pleasant Hill, California
law firm has contracts with eighty California law agencies.
While representing Bonds, Rains brought suit against the San Francisco Chronicle
for publishing leaked grand jury
testimony, but dropped the suit when threatened with an anti-SLAPP counterclaim
.
Rains lives in suburban San Ramon
with his wife, Kathy, a former police officer, and their son.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
criminal defense attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
known for representing police accused of misconduct, including the case of the BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant
BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant
Oscar Grant was fatally shot by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California, United States, in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009. Responding to reports of a fight on a crowded Bay Area Rapid Transit train returning from San Francisco, BART Police officers detained...
and a successful defense of the Oakland Riders. Rains also won acquittal of the Corcoran 8, prison guards accused of staging fights amongst inmates. He formerly represented baseball player Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
in his pending perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
trial.
Rains is a California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
graduate who served in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
with the U.S. Marines. Working as a former Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
police officer, he won a scholarship to attend Golden West University School of Law, and became a member of the California bar in 1979. His Pleasant Hill, California
Pleasant Hill, California
Pleasant Hill is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 33,152 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1961...
law firm has contracts with eighty California law agencies.
While representing Bonds, Rains brought suit against the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
for publishing leaked grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
testimony, but dropped the suit when threatened with an anti-SLAPP counterclaim
Counterclaim
In civil procedure, a party's claim is a counterclaim if the defending party has previously made a claim against the claiming party.Examples of counterclaims include:...
.
Rains lives in suburban San Ramon
San Ramon, California
-2010 census:The 2010 United States Census reported that San Ramon had a population of 72,148. The population density was 3,991.1 people per square mile...
with his wife, Kathy, a former police officer, and their son.