591 Camino de la Reina, Suite 1125San Diego, CA, 92108United States (619) 962-2514

Jon Martin Pettis

Avvo Rating8.8

San Diego, CA
Licensed for 26 years

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About Jon

I grew up knowing I was going to be a defense attorney. I never conceived of any other profession. Once I started practicing criminal defense, I found that while any lawyer will take a DUI case, few had dedicated the time and effort to learning the science well enough to look for possible defenses in almost any case. Instead, they just got good at telling their clients they needed to plead guilty without thouroghly evaluating the case. I do my best to never let that happen with my clients' cases.

Practice areas

DUI and DWI: 100%

Languages spoken

English

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Contact

591 Camino de la Reina, Suite 1125
San Diego, CA, 92108

Resume

License

State	Status	Acquired	Updated
CA	Active	1996	09/18/2022

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Avvo Contributions

Legal answers	339
Legal guides	0

Awards

Award name	Grantor	Date Granted
Moot Court Award Winner	UCLA School of Law	1994

work experience

Title	Company name	Duration
Chief Trial Counsel	Law Office of Jon M. Pettis	1996 - 2012
Intern	San Diego Public Defenders Office	1995 - 1996
Intern	Northern California Legal Services	1994 - 1994
Intern	UCLA Student Legal Services	1992 - 1993

associations

Association name	Position name	Duration
National College of DUI Defense	Memeber	2005 - Present
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers	Member	2003 - 2008

publications

Publication name	Title	Date
DS Criminal Law Group Web Site	DS Criminal Law Group	2011

education

School name	Degree	Graduated
UCLA School of Law	JD - Juris Doctor	1995
Univ of California Santa Cruz	undergraduate	1992

speaking engagements

Conference name	Title	Date
DUI Defense Ammunition	DUI Science and Strategies	2012

legal cases

Case name	Outcome
People v. Kyle M.	One case was dismissed and the second plead to a wet reckless.
People v. Alan F.	The weapons charge was dismissed. Client plead to being a public nuisance which will be dismissed in 18 months and a wet reckless.
People v. John W.	Case dismissed.
People v. Cleaveland N.	Not guilty.
People v. Victor B.	Probation and no jail time.

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Reviews

3.5 stars3.7 (3)

5 Star		67%
4 Star		0%
3 Star		0%
2 Star		0%
1 Star		33%

Review Jon Martin Pettis

greatest dui lawyer

5.0 stars

Posted by Laura
March 30, 2012

I was facing my third DUI in four years. I was sure I was going to jail for a long time. I hired Jon and he found flaws in the police conduct that led to the case being dismissed. He saved my job, my family and almost my life. Thanks!

incredible lawyer

5.0 stars

Posted by Laura
March 30, 2012

I was facing my third DUI in four years. I was sure I was foing to jail for a long time. Jon poured over the police reports and found a way to challenge the arrest and got all the evidence suppressed. The case was dismised and he saved my job, my family and almost my life. Thank you!

Better of with a public defender

1.0 star

Posted by anonymous
April 24, 2021

I retained Jon for my first (and only) DUI back in 2010. It was clear there was nothing outside of the standard arraignment he could do, but I had an important meeting on the day of my court date, so I figured, at the very least he could appear on my behalf. At the time of hiring his services, he was at a pretty well-known legal firm and a week after paying cash for his services, he let me know they went out of business and he would be working from home. Not a big deal considering he assured me everything would be handled properly. Days before my court date and on my actual court date, there was no communication despite leaving him voicemails for a call-back. I just had a gut feeling something was wrong, so I happened to checked the San Diego warrant site and my name appeared. I called him immediately to which he replied that he got court cases mixed up and failed to show. He did request the bench warrant to be revoked successfully, but created undue stress (and he was not cheap). I met him on the re-scheduled court date to make sure he would appear. After signing some documents, I had to ask what my probation details were (you'd figure he'd offer that without asking). I made sure he went through security and went home. I honestly feel I would have received the same stipulations of the DUI arrest with a public defender, minus the bench warrant for failure to appear and high cost tag. Regardless of it being over 10 years since I had to deal with Jon, I will never forget his unprofessionalism. Go elsewhere with your money.

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Attorney endorsements

(163)

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Robert Carter, DUI and DWI Attorney on Oct 16, 2015
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer. Mr. Pettis is a great lawyer and wonderful human being. When it comes to DUI & DWI law, he is my go to guy.

Hector Tamayo, DUI and DWI Attorney on Aug 24, 2015
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

Few if any possess the knowledge and skill set needed to tenaciously defend a DUI that Jon Pettis has He is a skilled negotiator and aggressive trial attorney. His knowledge of the science and intricacies of DUI cases are second to none.

Mark Clay, DUI and DWI Attorney on Aug 21, 2015
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I highly endorse Mr. Pettis. Truly exceptional and caring attorney who gets great results in representing clients! I want all people with legal problems to contact him first.

D. Michael Phillips, DUI and DWI Attorney on May 20, 2015
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer. If you have a family member who is facing a DUI charge, you can't go wrong with Mr. Pettis. With a practice focused on DUI defense, he shows his committment to his clients to get the best result possible.

Jill Rogers, Unknown Attorney on Apr 3, 2015
Relationship: Other

I endorse this lawyer for always putting the clients needs first.

Mark Murad, Unknown Attorney on Feb 26, 2015
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer.

Guy Levy, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jan 30, 2015
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer.

Corey Wlodarczyk, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jan 28, 2015
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

Jon is one of the most knowledgeable DUI attorneys I have ever met. One of the first people I go to when I seek advice, and for good reason. He will aggressively advocate for all of his clients using his wealth of experience and knowledge.

Sharon Anderson, Unknown Attorney on Nov 24, 2014
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer.

Douglas Borthwick, DUI and DWI Attorney on Nov 10, 2014
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer.

James Shields, DUI and DWI Attorney on Aug 21, 2014
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer with no reservation. An extremely talented and well respected attorney in the legal community. Very hardworking and diligent. Consistently achieves superior results. Advice is always practical and on point. I recommend to anyone looking for an attorney who knows the law and truly cares about protecting the rights of clients and achieving the most favorable result possible.I endorse this lawyer.I endorse this lawyer.

Zaki Ali, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jun 17, 2014
Relationship: Other

Jon is a talented and skilled lawyer. A true advocate for his clients. I endorse this lawyer.I endorse this lawyer.

Sean Cleary, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jun 11, 2014
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer. An extremely talented and well respected attorney in the legal community.

John VanDervoort, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jun 6, 2014
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

Jon has more endorsements from fellow lawyers than any other lawyer I know. Ive been a dui lawyer 42 years and he IS one of the finest and I recommend him.

Daryl Thompson, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jan 4, 2014
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer.

Martin Schmidt, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jan 1, 2014
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

Jon is a highly experienced DUi attorney who is not afraid to take on even the toughest DUI cases. I endorse this lawyer.

James Dicks, DUI and DWI Attorney on Nov 29, 2013
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

This attorney works very hard for the clients and keeps up with the law by attending legal seminars to assist them in this regard. I endorse this attorney.

David Shrager, DUI and DWI Attorney on Nov 28, 2013
Relationship: Other

I endorse this lawyer.

Bryce Fetter, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jul 28, 2013
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer.

Fadi Minawi, DUI and DWI Attorney on Jun 26, 2013
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

Mr. Pettis has assisted clients of mine with their DWI cases in California with excellent results. I endorse this lawyer.

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Francis Pabst
Fadi Minawi
Marc Applbaum
Sandra Saltrese-Miller
Sudeep Bose
Michael Terani
James Garrett

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Jon Martin Pettis

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Reviews

greatest dui lawyer

5.0 stars

incredible lawyer

5.0 stars

Better of with a public defender

1.0 star

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