Jo-Anna Nieves

Jo-Anna is committed to mounting the best possible defense for what she calls “hard working, family-oriented, successful professionals who aren’t career criminals… some are falsely accused, others make a bad call like driving home after a couple glasses of wine at a work event.” Jo-Anna was 20 years old when she graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in both Multinational Business and Finance. She went on to earn her J.D. from Florida State University in May 2009, where she was also a member of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. Jo-Anna started her legal career by interning with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, where she gained experience in the arraignment of misdemeanor and domestic violence offenses, the prosecution of adult sexual assault crimes, and felony preliminary hearings. After Jo-Anna passed the California Bar, she continued her career at the Sacramento County DA’s Office. She gained experience in the misdemeanor trial unit, negotiating plea offers, arguing suppression motions, and prepping cases for trial. She also built a rapport with members of the legal community, and further developed her trial advocacy skills. Two years later, she accepted a position as a trial attorney at a creditor’s rights law practice in Los Angeles, where she effectively litigated over 400 cases by reaching favorable resolutions for her clients by way of settlement prior to trial and maintaining a success rate of 95% for over 100 cases that went to trial.

Jo-Anna formed the Nieves Law Firm, APC in order to help those accused of crimes navigate the complex and challenging legal process of the criminal justice system. Jo-Anna is the former Chair of the ACBA Barristers Section Executive Committee and former Chair of the ACBA Judicial Appointments Evaluation Committee. She served for several years as a mock trial coach for El Centro Legal de La Raza’s Youth Law Academy and teaches annually at Stanford Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. Jo-Anna has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star every year since 2016 and her firm has made theLaw Firm 500 list for the past 5 years running.For the last two years, The Nieves Law Firm has also been recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing privately owned companies in the nation. She attributes her Firm's success to her genuine commitment to helping people thrive in difficult situations.