Jessica McElfresh

As an attorney, McElfresh relishes the challenge of tackling complex legal issues on behalf of clients, such as those involved in warrantless searches, traffic stops, and seeking to suppress evidence obtained through the violation of a defendant’s constitutional rights.

She was raised in San Diego County with a strong work ethic that she channeled into her studies at Scripps College, where she majored in Spanish Literature and graduated summa cum laude. After earning her bachelor’s degree, McElfresh followed her lifelong passion for the law to the University of San Diego Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree.

During law school McElfresh worked as a certified legal intern for the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. As an intern, she specialized in researching and writing search-and-seizure motions — work that has carried over into her practice as a San Diego criminal defense lawyer. While working in the District Attorney’s Office, she gained perspective on the San Diego criminal justice system, and a strengthened desire to help people who found themselves charged with crimes. Her goal as a defense attorney is to help her clients put their lives back together and move forward following the stress of a criminal case.

After law school, McElfresh worked in immigration law and criminal defense, and developed an interest in medical marijuana law and policy. She now focuses a portion of her legal practice on representing the interests of qualified medical marijuana patients and collectives in criminal courts, and on helping clients who operate collectives how to comply with state and local laws.

She also is involved in advocacy regarding medical marijuana policy, and serves as the Community Director for the San Diego Chapter of the NORML Women’s Alliance, which often leads her to speak at events centered on drug laws and reform. She teaches legal education programs regarding medical marijuana, and is written model ordinances and ballot initiatives to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries.

As an attorney, McElfresh offers compassionate, experienced representation and individualized service to each client. When she represents clients charged with crimes, she reviews every piece of evidence and constructs a thorough defense that is designed to tell the client’s unique story and to obtain the best possible outcome for the client’s case.