Founding Partner & Director
Kerry Steigerwalt
“My job is to protect and defend each and every client as vigorously as possible and exploit every weakness of the government's case.”
Kerry Steigerwalt has been practicing criminal law in San Diego since 1984, building one of the most experienced federal and state criminal defense practices in Southern California. As Founding Partner and Director, Kerry has tried more than 100 jury trials and has secured acquittals in murder cases in every courthouse in San Diego County — experience that carries directly into the federal courtroom, where the stakes and the scrutiny are even higher.
Kerry’s practice spans the full range of federal criminal matters: drug trafficking and importation charges prosecuted in the Southern District of California, white-collar and financial crimes, and the kind of high-stakes cases — including capital murder defense and “Three Strikes” allegations — that demand decades of courtroom judgment rather than textbook answers. Clients facing a federal indictment, a target letter, or a grand jury subpoena benefit from his four decades of experience anticipating how federal prosecutors build a case and where that case is vulnerable.
Kerry has held an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell for more than ten years, a distinction awarded through confidential peer and judicial review of legal ability and ethical standards. He has also been recognized as a Top Lawyer by San Diego Magazine. He has secured not-guilty verdicts in serious felony cases throughout San Diego County involving charges such as murder, attempted murder, and sexual assault. Above all, Kerry’s approach to federal defense is built on thorough preparation and a straightforward commitment: every client is treated fairly, regardless of what they are accused of.