Joseph A. Pertel specializes in juvenile delinquency and adult criminal law. He is a graduate of Yale University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1985. In 1995, Mr. Pertel received his Juris Doctor Degree from Loyola Law School. Upon graduation, Mr. Pertel received Loyola Law School’s Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Public Service and served as a member of the Board of Governors for Loyola Law School. He has served as a personnel commissioner for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Independent Juvenile Defender’s (IJD) Program and serves on the boards of several non-profit community organizations.

Mr. Pertel was admitted to practice law in the State of California in 1995. He is also admitted to practice law before the United States District Court for the Central District of California (1995), the United States District Court for the Southern District of California (1997), the United States District Court for the State of Arizona (2000), and the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (1999). Mr. Pertel is also admitted to practice law before the California Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals.

During the past 25 years, Mr. Pertel has tried more than 75 jury trials in State and Federal courts throughout Southern California. He has also argued cases before the California Courts of Appeal, resulting in several published opinions.

Prior to practicing law, Mr. Pertel received a two-year fellowship from the Yale-China Association to teach in Hunan, China, where he helped establish the first English language secondary school program in China with native speakers since 1949. He later served as Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Hawai’i and Program Director for Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Program in Los Angeles, where he worked with newly-arrived refugees from Asia, Central America, and the former Soviet Union.

Mr. Pertel has served on the Board of Directors for the California Association for Criminal Justice (CACJ) and the San Diego County Public Defender’s Association. He has also received recognition as a Southern California Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine. In December, 2019, Mr. Pertel was recognized as “Attorney of the Year” by the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Independent Juvenile Defender’s Program for his work representing young indigent clients in the Compton and Inglewood Courthouses.