About ​John Klopfenstein

​John Klopfenstein has a diverse background when it comes to the law. In the mid-1990s, he had his own practice in Beverly Hills litigating personal injury cases on behalf of other attorneys. After acquiring valuable experience in civil court, he went on to work as a public defender for fifteen years between 1997 and 2012, serving the California counties of Yolo and Monterey for ten and five years.

In 2007, John was asked to teach Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at Parma, the oldest and most prestigious University in all of Italy. During this time he also worked with Italy’s most famous law professor Mr. Cadopi working together as he was commissioned by the Italian Government to rewrite the Italian Penal Code basing it on American Law from NY and California. This experience as well as his many years as an award-winning public defender allowed John to gain a great deal of crucial insight into the workings of the California criminal justice system.
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In these 31 years, he has taken on thousands of misdemeanor and felony cases and handled more than 200 jury trials which have allowed him to lay the foundation for his successful criminal defense practice. This diverse background is what underlies the success of the Law Office of John Klopfenstein when it comes to helping residents of Salinas, Hollister, and the rest of Monterey County address tough legal issues.

In a milestone achievement in his distinguished career, in 2024, John was recognized as a Top 100 Lawyer in criminal defense in the country.

Education

• Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California – J.D. (1993)
• University of California at Los Angeles, LA, California – Post-graduate litigation certificate (1988)
• University of Washington, Seattle, Washington – B.A. (1988)

Admission

• State Association of California (1993)
• US Federal Court – Central District of California (1993)

Endorsed by

• The Law Office of John Klopfenstein was voted Best Law Firm for 2000
• Mr. Klopfenstein was voted a "Top ranking Attorney" by the American Attorney Association
• Mr. Klopfenstein was recognized as a "Who' Who Top Lawyer" for 2017
• Mr. Klopfenstein was a Criminal Law Litigator of the year in 2020
• Mr. Klopfenstein was voted in the "Top 100 criminal lawyers in the US" by the National Trial Lawyers Association and included in the "10 Best DUI/DWI Attorneys in Client Satisfaction" as voted by the American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys for 2016.