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Home › Attorneys › Kerry L. Armstrong

Kerry L. Armstrong

Home › Attorneys › Kerry L. Armstrong
Kerry Armstrong attorney
Kerry L. Armstrong
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Kerry L. Armstrong

Kerry has been a licensed California attorney since 1998.  He graduated cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1997, and he passed the brutal California Bar exam on his first try.  Since becoming an attorney, Kerry has also become licensed to practice law in the federal courts in the Southern District of California, the Central District of California, the Eastern District of Missouri, the Middle District of Florida, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.             

In 2020, Kerry became a certified criminal law specialist licensed through the California State Bar Legal Specialization program.  He had to take and pass a second Bar exam focusing on criminal law, complete continuing legal education hours in criminal law, and be favorably evaluated by other attorneys and judges in San Diego County familiar with his work in criminal law.  There are less than twenty attorneys in all of San Diego County who possess this criminal law specialist title.            

Kerry’s numerous jury trial successes have been covered by some of the most reputable news outlets in the nation, and his cases have been covered both by nationwide media in the United States as well as other countries around the world.  His cases have been featured on Law & Order: Crime & Punishment, USA Today, Dateline, the Today Show, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Nancy Grace, Cuomo Prime Time, the Daily Mail, and many more. 

In March 2013, Kerry was named “Trial Attorney of the Year” for the 2012 year by the San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association. Additionally, The Recorder, a legal magazine in San Francisco, named Mr. Armstrong “Attorney of the Year” for 2012 based on several jury trial victories that year, including several trials where his client was facing life in prison. 

From 2014 through 2025, Mr. Armstrong was selected for inclusion in the California Super Lawyers list, an honor only awarded to 5% of the nation’s attorneys. In 2017 and 2025, he was also selected for the Super Lawyers Top 50 in San Diego list (with him being the only criminal defense attorney selected in the 2025 Top 50 list).  In 2014, he was selected as a Top Attorney by Los Angeles Magazine. Additionally, Mr. Armstrong was also named as a Top Attorney by the San Diego Business Journal in 2014.

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What inspired you to become a lawyer?

My dad was a land developer in Middle Tennessee, and he got sued a couple of times when I was a kid. He always wanted me to become an attorney so I could help him out and protect his business. Most kids do not want to become what their parents want, but being an attorney actually sounded interesting to me.

However, I was always fascinated with crime and knew that I wanted to go into criminal law and not civil law. I knew since seventh grade that I was going to become an attorney. At one time, I wanted to go into politics, but I eventually became disinterested in that when I got to college and saw how corrupt our political system is.

Why did you decide on criminal defense?

I have always been fascinated by crime, even in elementary school. It intrigues me regarding why people do the things they do, especially in the criminal world. Before I began law school, I contemplated becoming a prosecutor. However, working for a criminal defense attorney in law school changed my feelings on that. I very quickly saw how mistreated defendants are in the criminal justice field, and I wanted to help them.

It is interesting to me how cell phone cameras are currently changing our country’s feelings toward the police and the criminal justice system. Ten years ago, most of the country thought that the police are always right and make correct decisions. But in the past couple of years it seems that police brutality videos are released almost daily, and they show just how violent and disrespectful police officers can be to people. It really bothers me when police officers act that way, and I want to help people who are victims of officers’ brutality or disrespect.

Are you known for a particular skill or specialty?

Yes, I definitely focus on sex crimes to a large degree. They are by far the hardest to defend (even harder than murder), but the challenge is very interesting.

Is there a past case that you handled that you are particularily proud of?

I think the biggest success I ever had was on a thirty-eight-count child molest/rape case that I defended in late 2012. The client was looking at 348-to-life, which is almost impossible to even comprehend. The jury voted not-guilty on all thirty-eight counts and the client got to go home and try to reassemble his life.

A close second was a first-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy trial that I won in 2005. The client was potentially looking at the death penalty, but the District Attorney’s Office decided not to seek death. It was still an amazing feeling to acquit the defendant on a life case.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

I enjoy helping the “underdog,” and that is what my clients are. Even if they are successful people with a lot of money, they still are the underdog in the criminal justice system. The District Attorney’s Office has virtually unlimited assets to prosecute cases, and it is often very hard to defend a case against an entity with unlimited money.

Although “winning” a case is often just getting the best plea-bargain possible, it is rewarding to save someone’s life, save their job, save them from having to register as a sex offender, or even saving them from a large fine.

What sets your firm apart from the rest?

I am very picky about who I hire, especially the attorneys who work for me. My two current associates are not only very good and dedicated attorneys, but they are my close friends as well. I get rid of employees who do not care about clients or who cut corners in their work.

I truly believe that all three of us attorneys in the firm really care about our clients, even the ones who give us problems at times. We all understand that when clients hire our firm, they are probably going through the worst time in their lives. They are very scared, apprehensive about the criminal justice system, and often even angry about their situation.

All three of us work very hard to make sure that the client gets through the system with the least possible punishment or penalties.

Areas of Practice

  • Criminal Defense
  • Juvenile Delinquency Law
  • Sex Offenses
  • Drug Cases
  • Violent Crimes
  • Domestic Violence
  • Weapons Offenses
  • Fraud
  • Theft Crimes
  • DUI/DMV
  • Federal Cases
  • Drug and Alien Smuggling
  • Grand Jury Proceedings
  • Juvenile Crimes
  • Parole & Probation Violations
  • White Collar Crimes
  • Expungements/Reductions to
  • Misdemeanors

Education

Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California

  • Honors: Numerous Scholastic Awards
  • Law Review: School’s Law Review, Senior Editor
  • Law Review: School’s Law Review, Later Executive Editor

Middle Tennessee State University

  • Bachelors of Science
  • Major: Political Science
  • Minor: Criminal Justice
  • Minor: English

Professional Assocations & Memberships

  • San Diego County Criminal Defense Bar Association, Member
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Member

Achievements & Accolades

In 2012, Mr. Armstrong conducted nine jury trials, a record for him for one year. Several of these trials lasted three weeks or longer, and seven of the nine were cases where the maximum term was life in prison. After winning full acquittals in five of those trials (including three life trials), and winning a partial acquittal and a partial hang in another, Mr. Armstrong was named 2012’s “Trial Attorney of the Year” by the San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association. Additionally, The Recorder, a legal magazine in San Francisco, named Mr. Armstrong “Attorney of the Year” for 2012 based on these victories.

In 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, Mr. Armstrong was selected for inclusion in the California Super Lawyers list, an honor only awarded to 5% of the nation’s attorneys. In 2017, he was also selected for the Super Lawyers Top 50 in San Diego list. In 2014, he was selected as a Top Attorney by Los Angeles Magazine. Mr. Armstrong was also named as a Top Attorney by the San Diego Business Journal in 2014.

  • Contact us for your free consultation— start your fight by talking to us.

Well-regarded as one of the premiere criminal defense attorneys in the county, Mr. Armstrong puts 100% effort into every case, whether it be a simple DUI or capital murder case.

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