Rafael is a Santa Barbara native. The son of immigrant parents they spent their summers in Durango, México, until Rafael began attending the University of Southern California.  Rafael is bilingual and bi-cultural. Speaking English and Spanish and spending a large portion of his life growing up in México he is familiar with the beauty and majesty that can be México as well as cultural customs.

Rafael graduated from the University of Southern California in 1993. That same year he returned to Santa Barbara and started law school and began working with his father, Don Rafael M. Amézaga.

Rafael started working with his father in his Tax practice as well as his Real Estate endeavors. Don Rafael started his Tax practice in 1968 and was also an award winning Real Estate Broker dating back to 1965, having started Home Realty and Investments in 1969.

Along with the Tax work there was always a Real Estate deal that needed tending to or a rental property that needed attention and in working with his father Rafael became well versed in the world of Real Estate and Tax. Rafael would continue working with his father, year after year, every tax season, until Don Rafael’s passing in 2012.

Rafael was admitted to practice law in the State of California in 1999.  He started working for the Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Office, at first, as a volunteer attorney with the South County office. He had great success in trial (some would say beginners luck others would say just pure dumb luck) and thereafter was hired full time in the Santa Maria office.

A year came and went, more trials came, more success and some failure, but more trials nonetheless, and Rafael was assigned to the Santa Barbara office of the Public Defender. At the time Rafael thought to himself, “I’ll probably just stick around another year or two.

The “year or two” turned out to be fifteen. Along the way Rafael handled thousands of criminal cases. His experience covered the entire spectrum, everything from the minor misdemeanor public intoxication to the most heinous homicide cases.

In 2014, Rafael stepped down from his position as a Deputy Public Defender with the Santa Barbara Public Defender’s Office.

Come see him anytime. Just call (805) 569-2825 or click the link below for an appointment.