Justin Sterling

About Justin Sterling

Mr. Sterling is an award-winning trial lawyer who specializes in criminal defense and civil rights. He has dedicated his career to representing both the accused and those who have been mistreated by law enforcement.

Mr. Sterling, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, has dedicated his legal career to trial defense work. His years of dedicated service as a trial lawyer for the underdog highlight his commitment to social justice.

Mr. Sterling has defended some of the most difficult and complex criminal cases as a former trial attorney for the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office. Mr. Sterling earned a reputation as a skilled trial lawyer in the Los Angeles legal community. Mr. Sterling represented clients accused of murder, robbery, rape, major-narco, child molestation, sex offenses, residential and commercial burglary, cyber-crime, and major fraud during his years in the trenches. He has represented clients charged by almost every specialized unit in the County, including Hardcore, Major Crimes, Family Violence, and the High-Tech Crimes Unit. Mr. Sterling received extensive peer recognition and honors for his dedication to his clients by obtaining acquittals in major cases.

Mr. Sterling founded the Law Offices of Justin E. Sterling after years of trial work in the public sector. Mr. Sterling has uniquely connected to the pulse of the local legal community thanks to his diverse network of contacts in Los Angeles and Southern California. Mr. Sterling's clients have access to the best investigators, experts, and legal professionals, all of whom work together to provide unrivaled representation. Mr. Sterling has nearly two decades of criminal defense experience and has developed several specializations, including white collar crime, gang cases, sex crimes, alternative sentencing, pre-file/pre-indictment representation, and police misconduct cases.

Mr. Sterling's success is built on the fact that he is a trial lawyer, not a businessman. Mr. Sterling's trial statistics demonstrate his ability in jury selection, cross-examination, and summarization. He has tried over 70 jury trials to verdict in California courts. Mr. Sterling obtained an acquittal for his client accused of multiple counts of first-degree premeditated attempted murder in 2016. If convicted, his client faced a life sentence. Mr. Sterling obtained four separate dismissals for clients facing life sentences and settled over a dozen cases for diversion, reduced charges, or probation in cases where his clients were initially facing lengthy prison sentences between 2017 and 2019. Mr. Sterling obtained over ten case rejections for clients facing potential felony charges in 2021. Mr. Sterling negotiated a three-year plea deal for his client charged with first-degree murder in 2022. If convicted, his client faced a life sentence.

An attorney's reputation is frequently their most powerful tool. A lawyer who is afraid to fight is ineffective. An attorney who fights everything and every one, on the other hand, can be just as bad. Mr. Sterling routinely intervenes early on for his clients to prevent a criminal filing, drawing on his relationships with filing prosecutors, his extensive experience working up a case, and his trial record. Mr. Sterling understands which situations necessitate aggressive tactics and which require diplomacy and finesse. Mr. Sterling's approach to the practice of law is defined by his unwavering commitment to his clients, whether arguing a case to a jury or resolving a client's case quickly and discreetly.

Those charged with a criminal offense are frequently mistreated by the police. As a result, Mr. Sterling has carved out a niche in the civil arena, taking on selected civil rights cases in which his clients have been targeted and subjected to law enforcement misconduct. Mr. Sterling bravely represents citizens who have been physically harmed, sexually abused under pretenses, racially profiled, or harmed by police corruption. He zealously seeks justice for his clients, not only through monetary compensation, but also by publicly holding police officers, police departments, and governmental entities accountable for civil rights violations.