John W. Thornton has been defending those accused of crime in Santa Cruz for over twenty years. Upon graduation from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1990, Mr. Thornton was hired as an attorney at at the biggest criminal defense firm in Santa Cruz County. Prior to graduation, Mr. Thornton had worked as both a defense investigator and law clerk for the same firm, Biggam, Christensen, and Minsloff. While there, Mr. Thornton handled thousands of cases, from citations for trespassing to accusations of murder.

In 1997, Mr. Thornton started his own firm, located in the Sash Mill complex in downtown Santa Cruz. He is a member of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the Santa Cruz County Criminal Defense Bar, and the Santa Cruz County Bar Association. Mr. Thornton is a past president of the Santa Cruz County Criminal Defense Bar.  Mr. Thornton's practice is limited to criminal defense in Santa Cruz County.