About Caree Annette
Caree Annette Harper is a licensed attorney admitted to practice law in the State of California. She was admitted to the California State Bar in 2002. Her license is currently in active status. Ms. Harper is the founder and principal attorney at the Law Offices of Caree Harper, a firm specializing in civil rights and criminal defense cases. The firm is located in Santa Monica, California, serving clients throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Ms. Harper earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, graduating in 2001. Prior to law school, she completed her undergraduate education at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Business in 1997. During her time at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, she developed a strong foundation in legal principles, which she has applied throughout her career.
Ms. Harper's practice areas include civil rights, criminal defense, and police misconduct cases. She represents clients in matters involving excessive force, wrongful death, and other civil rights violations. Her work encompasses all stages of litigation, including case evaluation, discovery, settlement negotiations, and trial proceedings in both state and federal courts. She has a history of handling complex cases, including federal civil rights actions and significant criminal defense matters.
Throughout her career, Ms. Harper has gained extensive experience in various courts. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. She has also appeared before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where she successfully argued for a reversal of a lower court's ruling in a federal civil rights action. Prior to founding her own firm, she worked as a certified paralegal for various law firms, including those involved in construction defect cases and insurance defense.
Ms. Harper is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, and the California Lawyers Association Solo and Small Firm Section. She has been recognized for her pro bono work, receiving the Shirley Fields Volunteer Award from the County of Los Angeles for dedicating nearly half of her time to providing legal representation to those in need. Additionally, she has been selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list and named one of the National Trial Lawyers' "Top 100" Attorneys in Civil Rights and Criminal Defense. Ms. Harper is fluent in English and Spanish, allowing her to serve a diverse clientele effectively.
