About Justin Sterling

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mr. Sterling has dedicated himself to trial defense work since the inception of his legal career. His commitment to social justice is highlighted by his years of committed service as a trial lawyer for the underdog.

As a former trial attorney for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, Mr. Sterling has defended some of the most challenging and complex criminal cases. Never deterred by the unlimited power and resources of the government, Mr. Sterling brought something different to public service. In addition to providing his clients with committed and passionate representation, Mr. Sterling established a reputation within the Los Angeles legal community as being a talented trial lawyer. His dedication to his clients resulted in extensive peer recognition and honors while honing his craft in the courtroom.

During these years in the trenches, Mr. Sterling represented clients charged with murder, attempted murder, rape, major narcotic crimes, child molestation and pornography, sex offenses, residential and commercial burglary, cyber crimes, and major fraud. He has defended clients prosecuted by virtually every specialized unit in the County, be it Hardcore, Major Crimes, Family Violence, or the High-Tech Crimes Unit. During his tenure with the office Mr. Sterling won numerous acquittals for clients facing multiple life sentences in addition to countless favorable settlements.

After years of trial work within the public sector, Mr. Sterling founded the Law Offices of Justin E. Sterling. Taking advantage of his select and diverse network of contacts within Los Angeles and Southern California, Mr. Sterling is uniquely connected to the pulse of Los Angeles and the surrounding legal community. Mr. Sterling’s clients have access to the best investigators, experts, and legal professionals, who together, provide the client with unmatched representation at the highest level. With almost two decades of experience within the criminal defense arena, Mr. Sterling has developed a variety of specializations, including white collar crime, gang cases, sex crimes, alternative sentencing, and pre-file/pre-indictment representation.

The framework for Mr. Sterling’s success is that he is a trial lawyer not a businessman. Mr. Sterling’s trial statistics attest to his skill in jury selection, cross-examination, and summation – he has tried over 70 jury trials to verdict in courts throughout California. In 2016, Mr. Sterling obtained an acquittal for his client charged with numerous counts of first-degree premeditated attempted murder. His client was facing a life sentence if convicted. After a one-week trial out of one of the toughest courthouses in Los Angeles County, Mr. Sterling secured his client’s release. Between 2017-2019, Mr. Sterling obtained four separate dismissals for clients facing life sentences and settled over a dozen cases for either diversion, reduced charges, or probation, in cases where his clients were originally facing lengthy prison sentences. In 2021 alone, Mr. Sterling secured over ten case rejections for clients facing potential felony charges. Drawing upon his relationships with filing prosecutors, his extensive experience in working up a case, exposing problems with proof, and highlighting mitigating factors to a prosecutor, Mr. Sterling routinely intervenes early on for his clients in an effort to prevent a criminal filing.

Mr. Sterling understands which situations require aggressive tactics and which are best approached with diplomacy and finesse. Whether it’s arguing a case to a jury or resolving a client’s case quickly and discreetly, Mr. Sterling’s approach to the practice of law is defined by his unwavering commitment to his clients. He is respected by judges, prosecutors, and his peers alike for his trial skills and professionalism.

Given the inextricable crossover with his criminal practice, Mr. Sterling has also honed a niche within the civil arena taking on selected civil rights cases where his clients have been targeted and subjected to misconduct by law enforcement. Mr. Sterling courageously represents citizens who have been subjected to physical injury, sexual abuse under color of authority, racially motivated arrests and other police misconduct. He zealously pursues justice for his clients not only through money damages but also by holding police officers, police departments, and governmental entities publicly accountable for civil rights violations.

In 2017, Mr. Sterling obtained three seven-figure settlement awards stemming from litigation against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Probation Department. These federal civil rights lawsuits triggered widespread reform in both of the County Departments. In 2018, Mr. Sterling obtained two seven-figure awards and numerous six-figure settlement awards against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Probation Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Department of Child and Family Services. In 2019, Mr. Sterling and his team won a six-figure verdict against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in an excessive force trial, where the jury awarded punitive damages against two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies. To date, Mr. Sterling’s pending litigation against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the LAPD, Sheriff’s Department, as well as other local governmental entities and municipalities, seeks to hold bad actors accountable for civil rights violations. It’s not enough to secure just compensation for his clients, as much of the work seeks to bring about institutional reform and policy change in order to address the structural inequalities that promote government abuse in the first place.

Mr. Sterling continues to receive the highest honors in the areas of legal ability, experience, industry recognition, and professional conduct. Mr. Sterling is an AVVO-rated lawyer, receiving top marks from clients and attorneys, has been named a Top Criminal Defense Attorney, Under the Age of 40, by the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys as well as a Top Lawyer in California, by the Legal Network, noting his commitment to ethical standards and professional excellence. Mr. Sterling has also been named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 as well as the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40. Inclusion into this list is by invitation only and limited only to the top criminal trial lawyers in the country.

Mr. Sterling is routinely featured in both print and digital media as an expert in criminal defense and civil rights cases. Mr. Sterling’s cases have been covered by local and national news outlets such as ABC, Fox News, CNN, the LA Times, Newsweek, and the Daily Journal. By combining in-depth criminal and civil trial experience with local expertise, Mr. Sterling continues to be one of the most sought-after criminal defense and civil rights attorneys in the Los Angeles area.