About John A. Messina
John A. Messina Jr. built a career that crosses public safety, tribal court work and private law practice. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the University of Redlands in 1982 and went on to receive his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in 1993. Those credentials set the stage for a professional life that blends litigation, regulatory matters and community service.
He began his public-safety career in Orange County and rose through ranks that ran parallel to his legal development. In 2001 he was a Reserve Captain with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, a role that placed him in operational and leadership positions within law enforcement. In 2009 he took on a judicial role as an Associate Judge of the Intertribal Court of Southern California, handling matters brought before that court and working within tribal legal processes.
In the private sector Messina turned to firm leadership. He was a founding partner of Lytton Williams Messina & Hankin LLP in 2012 and later helped establish Messina & Hankin LLP in 2016. Those moves mark a steady progression into roles where case management, firm administration and client counseling converge. His practice operates out of offices in Temecula Valley and Newport Beach, maintaining a presence in Southern California.
Professionally he is admitted to practice in California and before federal courts including the Ninth Circuit and the Federal Circuit. He also holds a license as a real estate broker through the California Bureau of Real Estate, a credential that complements legal work involving property and transactional matters.
Messina has kept an active role in bar and civic organizations. He has been a member of the Federal Bar Association since 2013 and serves as a Master of the Bench in the Southwest Inn of Court beginning the same year. He has led the Orange County Reserve Peace Officers Association as its president since 2009 and has been on the board of Coastal Family Therapy since 2002. His long-running connection to community youth work is reflected in board service with the City of Industry Sheriff’s Station Youth Activities League since 1994. Earlier in his career he served as general counsel to the National Latino Peace Officers Association from 1994 to 2004.
The arc of his career shows overlapping commitments: public safety, tribal adjudication, firm leadership and community engagement. He continues to practice through Messina & Hankin LLP, dividing time among litigation, real estate-related matters and public-safety related legal issues, and maintains offices in Temecula Valley and Newport Beach.
His current practice focuses on litigation, real estate matters and legal issues connected to public safety and tribal courts.
