Kristi Jo Peariso

As a criminal law attorney with more than 11 years of experience in criminal defense, I have spent my entire career fighting for the constitutional protection of my clients. Unlike many other private criminal defense attorneys in Ventura County, I have never worked for the District Attorney's Office, and have never prosecuted anyone. I began my career as a Deputy Public Defender in Mendocino County, before transferring to Santa Barbara County and ultimately to Ventura County in 2000, where I remained as a Deputy Public Defender for 7 years. As a tireless and passionate public defender for nearly 10 years, I gained experience in criminal defense that cannot be duplicated. I have tried numerous misdemeanor and felony cases, handled hundreds of preliminary hearings and argued numerous types of motions. I have worked in and am familiar with every criminal courtroom in Ventura County. After working in the proposition 36 courtroom for several years, I have extensive experience with drug and alcohol addiction. Additionally, my experience in the mental health court has given me extensive insight into mental illness. I am well acquainted with the District Attorney's Office and all of the criminal judges and commissioners in the County. Although my time with the Public Defender's Office was positive overall, I felt that I could not give my clients the representation they deserved because of my large caseload. So, in 2007 I chose to leave the Public Defender's Office and become a private attorney, where I could give each and every one of my clients the personal attention and representation they deserve. Due to my experience in criminal defense law, I have been contracted by the County of Ventura to handle and defend conflict cases. I also serve as an adjunct professor of criminal law at the Southern California Institute of Law. I enjoy the individual time I am able to spend on each of my client's cases, and it is important to me that each of them is completely satisfied with my representation. I have built my reputation on the care and thoroughness with which I treat each client and on the passion with which I will defend them.