Elmira Yousufi, San Diego criminal defense attorney, offers national perspective on whether defendants should testify in ABA’s GPSolo Magazine article.
(PRUnderground) July 16th, 2025
With courtroom decisions under increasing scrutiny, a San Diego defense attorney is offering a nationally published perspective on one of the most high-risk moments in any criminal trial: whether a defendant should testify.
Elmira Yousufi, a criminal defense attorney at David P. Shapiro Criminal Defense Attorneys, authored the lead article in the May/June 2025 issue of GPSolo Magazine, a publication of the American Bar Association. The piece, titled “To Testify or Not: The Dilemma of Defendants in Criminal Trials,” examines how defense attorneys evaluate the strategic and psychological risks of putting clients on the stand.
“There’s no universal answer,” Yousufi writes in the article. “Ultimately, whether a defendant testifies or remains silent, the goal remains the same: achieving the best outcome while protecting the defendant’s rights”
Drawing from experience on both the prosecution and defense side of the courtroom, Yousufi details the legal protections at play, including the Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, and the less predictable factors, like juror bias and prosecutorial cross-examination tactics.
A Timely Contribution in a Shifting Legal Landscape
The article comes at a time when jurors’ expectations and courtroom optics are increasingly influencing trial outcomes. Yousufi’s analysis offers practical guidance for defense attorneys navigating high-stakes moments—particularly in cases hinging on consent, self-defense, or character credibility.
A former clerk at the San Diego District Attorney’s Office and public defender in Washington, D.C., Yousufi now represents individuals charged with serious felonies and misdemeanors across San Diego County. She joined David P. Shapiro Criminal Defense Attorneys in 2022 and was named a 2025 Super Lawyers Rising Star earlier this year.
Her recent case results include dismissals in cases involving kidnapping, burglary, and drug sales, many following successful motions to suppress key evidence.
More Than a Byline
Yousufi’s contribution to GPSolo marks a broader commitment to reform-minded advocacy and public legal education. Born in Afghanistan and raised in the U.S. after her family fled conflict, she credits her early experiences with discrimination as a driving force behind her work defending those vulnerable to being mistreated by the legal system.
“Elmira’s writing captures what we see in her courtroom work every day—clarity, conviction, and a refusal to take shortcuts when someone’s freedom is on the line,” said the Firm’s Founder & CEO, David P. Shapiro. “She’s helping raise the standard for what thoughtful, effective criminal defense looks like, and we’re proud to have her representing our firm now on a national stage.”
The full article is available online via the American Bar Association at:
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/gpsolo/resources/magazine/2025-may-jun/testify-or-not-dilemma-defendants-criminal-trials
Media Contact:
David P. Shapiro Criminal Defense Attorneys
2550 Fifth Ave, Suite 1050
San Diego, CA 92103
619-762-4503
About David P. Shapiro Criminal Defense Attorneys
The lawyers at David P. Shapiro Criminal Defense Attorneys in San Diego have been obtaining outstanding results in San Diego County for the better part of the past two decades. These outcomes have included not-guilty verdicts at jury trials in every courthouse in the County, cases being dismissed outright, and plea bargains few believed were possible.
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