About Jessica C.
Jessica C. McElfresh earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies from Scripps College and went on to receive her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2009. Her undergraduate study emphasized language and culture. Law school placed her in San Diego’s public defense and municipal offices, where she gained early courtroom and client-contact experience.
While still in law school she worked as an intern in the San Diego City Attorney’s Office in 2007 and served as a certified legal intern in the Office of the District Attorney of San Diego County in 2008. Those roles gave her exposure to criminal procedure, courtroom practice and the mechanics of public prosecution. After graduation she took on short-term and contract positions that broadened her practical skills, including a contract role at Casa Cornelia Law Center in 2009.
She joined Lake APC as an associate in 2010. The following year she launched McElfresh Law, Inc., taking on the responsibilities of lawyer and managing partner. That move shifted her from associate work in an established firm to running a practice of her own. The office has handled a mix of criminal defense and regulatory matters tied to emerging industries.
McElfresh has balanced private practice with active participation in professional and policy groups. She has been a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and local criminal defense organizations since 2009. She joined the Lawyers Club of San Diego and the San Diego County Bar Association the same year. In 2010 she became involved with the NORML Legal Committee and later took on a leadership role as Community Director for NORML Women’s Alliance in 2012. Her membership roster also includes the Louis M. Welsh American Inn of Court and California Lawyers for Criminal Justice.
Her professional affiliations broadened in 2014 when she joined both the National Cannabis Industry Association and the California Cannabis Industry Association. Those memberships reflect an interest in the legal issues that follow state-level legalization and regulation. She has combined criminal defense practice with advice to clients operating in or entering the cannabis sector, addressing licensing, compliance and related legal risks.
Colleagues describe her approach as straightforward and procedural. She draws on courtroom experience and the networks she has built through advocacy organizations. She is licensed to practice law in California and runs McElfresh Law, Inc., where her work centers on criminal defense and cannabis-related legal matters.
