About

“The People’s Lawyer”

 As a private attorney, he has handled hundreds of criminal matters and personal injury matters in the Tri-County and surrounding areas of Monterey, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties.  Let a former California Superior Court Judge with more than 37 years of legal experience help you with your legal problem.

José Angel Velásquez, Sr. has a unique legal experience.  He is a former Superior Court Judge that has been involved in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, the California Supreme Court, and the California State Bar, with a high degree of success.

José comes from the poor side of town and has fought against the mainstream and “good old boys” for decades. He has been called, “The People’s Lawyer” and will not back off.

As Superior Court Judge, José presided over more than 70,000 cases in the:

• Criminal Division
• Family Court
• Drug Court
• Civil Department
• Traffic Court
• Small Claims Court
• Juvenile Court
• Truancy Court.

His 37 years of legal experience is vast and well rounded, and also serves San Benito, Tulare, San Joaquin, and other California Counties and in the State of Arizona.

His Early Years

José Angel’s background is rather unique. He comes from a humble background. His parents, family, and he are former migrant farmworkers that traveled throughout the Southwest from Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Utah, and California harvesting seasonal crops. His family settled in the Salinas Valley in 1966 and this has been home ever since.

His Education

José attended Alisal High School, then went on to Hartnell, San Jose State University, and graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law.

California Bar Examination

1983

Practicing Law

He returned home and started his own law practice from 1984 until 1995 when he became a judge.

Municipal Court Judge

He was elected to the Monterey County Municipal Court bench in 1995 and served until 2002.

Superior Court Judge

In 2002 the Municipal Court merged into what is now the California Superior Court of Monterey County and José continued serving as a judge until 2007.

Private Law Practice

In 2009, after working over 12 years as a judge, José returned to his private law practice and continued his life-long passion as the “People’s Lawyer”. José is proud of his humble beginnings and is forever thankful for the mentors that helped guide him along the way.  This experience was the foundation of his strong belief in putting back into the local community.