Meet Our Criminal Defense Team

Kerry Steigerwalt

Kerry L. Steigerwalt is one of San Diego's most well-known criminal defense attorneys. He has defended clients against capital murder charges and many "three strikes" cases.

He routinely defends clients in all types of felony prosecutions, including felony dui, armed robbery, sex offenses, assault, drug possession and sale, fraud, and financial crimes. He has the unusual distinction of obtaining a "not guilty of murder" verdict for clients in every courthouse in San Diego County. Steigerwalt has practiced criminal defense law in San Diego since 1984.

Mr. Steigerwalt has been featured on "48 Hours," "Court TV," "The O'Reilly Factor," and "Fox News." He has acted as a legal consultant on dozens of television and radio programs, including KUSI in San Diego. His cases have been discussed in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, People magazine, and numerous national and local news publications.

Jay S. Finnecy

Jay S. Finnecy is an attorney for the criminal division of Steigerwalt Law Firm. Mr. Finnecy brings 15 years of experience as a criminal attorney to the benefit of his clients. Mr. Finnecy began his legal career in 1996 as a prosecutor with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Over a six-year period, Mr. Finnecy handled hundreds of criminal cases including over 30 jury trials. During his final two years with the District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Finnecy was assigned to the J.U.D.G.E. Unit in North County where he prosecuted complex cases involving narcotics, gang violence, and probation/parole violators.

In 2002, Mr. Finnecy opened his own criminal defense practice and has been successfully representing people accused of criminal offenses ever since. Mr. Finnecy has earned the respect of prosecutors and judges throughout San Diego County because of his broad experience, legal knowledge, and professionalism.

Mr. Finnecy earned his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he was active in student government and served on the University Center Governance Board. Mr. Finnecy has been a featured legal commentator on KOGO AM-600, KFMB AM-760, and Court TV.

Mr. Finnecy is proud to have been a faculty member at Mira Costa Community College where he taught courses in Criminal Procedure, Juvenile Law, and Evidence. Mr. Finnecy is a member of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ).

Olivia Lopez

Olivia Lopez joined Steigerwalt Law Firm as a Criminal Defense Paralegal and works directly with two attorneys carrying out various tasks, including preparing and filing legal documents, processing client files, and working directly with clients. She has over 14 years experience working in the legal field. She has been in the criminal defense field for over 10 years working for both for state and federal cases. She is bilingual in English & Spanish.

Olivia grew up in the very warm Coachella Valley and after moving away for college decided to reside in beautiful San Diego, California. She attended Clarita Career College in Long Beach, California with an emphasis in Paralegal Studies and received her Paralegal Certificate. Upon completion of her paralegal certification, she also attended SDSU and majored in Psychology.

Olivia has been a member of the National Notary Association since 2006 and is a certified and licensed California Notary Public.

Olivia resides in east Chula Vista and on the weekends spends the majority of her time attending and transporting her son to his many sport and recreational functions or other events he has going on to keep her and her husband busy. She enjoys RealRyder cycling, spending time with her family, going to the movies, listening to music, dancing, and watching all types of sporting events.

Pamela Anderson

Pamela is Steigerwalt Law Firm’s marketing manager and criminal defense paralegal to Kerry Steigerwalt. In these dual roles, Pamela is in the unique position to positively reach the public and generate clientele, while simultaneously handling the clients’ cases once they sign up. Pamela works on both sides of the business process, ensuring that clients are receiving consistent, quality legal services for their respective needs.

Pamela graduated from San Diego State University in 2004 receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Political Science. After graduating, she worked as a Manager at an Educational Center. During this time she was called for jury duty and placed to serve as a juror for a criminal trial. After this experience, she applied and attended the University of San Diego’s Paralegal Program, graduating with honors. Her exceptional education has translated well in the legal field, as she competently handles a variety of criminal defense matters. Regardless of your potential case, Pamela has the experience to assist the attorney’s in reaching a positive resolution. Additionally, Pamela is extremely personable, providing an element of comfort for clients through the difficult legal process.

Pamela was born and raised in Southern California. She loves to travel and see new places. She has lived in Thailand and traveled the Pacific Rim by ship. When Pamela is not at work you will find her on the beach, surfing, playing softball, attending Padres games, and spending time with her family and friends.

Colleen Doyle

Colleen Doyle is the Business Development Manager as well as a legal assistant at Steigerwalt Law Firm. She helps to facilitate community outreach and works to expand the name and image of the firm. She also helps to maintain relations with the firm’s venders. Her responsibilities include the intake of new clients and helping to exceed client expectation.

Colleen grew up in Fresno, California. After High school she went to the University of California, Riverside where she graduated with a degree in American History. During her time at UCR Colleen worked as a middle school English tutor and was President of the Zeta Lambda chapter of Delta Gamma Fraternity. She was also a member of the scholastic honor society Order of Omega.

Colleen is a recent resident of San Diego and couldn’t love it more. She enjoys going to the beach and spending time with her friends and family. As a baseball fan she takes every opportunity to watch the padres. She also loves to take advantage of all the wonderful museums and history that San Diego has to offer.

Jeffrey Curtis

Jeffrey Curtis is the Senior Case Manager at Steigerwalt Law Firm. He has nearly twenty years of experience in the legal field which he is able to apply to his daily responsibilities. Jeff comes to the office with not only experience, but a positive outlook on situations in order to provide the best client service to every person that walks through our doors. He ensures that every client can walk away from our firm with their questions answers, worries eliminated and with a sense of hope moving forward.

Jeff came out to San Diego in 1986 from the bay area for vacation and never went back. He started out as a chef at the Kona Grill and Bar in Solana Beach and worked as a life guard for the City of Solana Beach. Shortly after, he got his start at working for a law firm in 1992 and has been in the field ever since. He has helped thousands of clients deal with bankruptcy and criminal matters. Throughout the years many changes have taken place when it comes to different financial situations that clients have found themselves in. Jeff has always been there to assist in any way that is beneficial to the client’s needs. Jeff helps to implement debt negotiation as an alternative to bankruptcy.

In his spare time he enjoys to relive his career of the past, cooking. He is known around the office for his delicious home cooked meals and is always generously sharing with the staff. He also enjoys playing golf and spending time with family and friends. Jeff is married with two daughters and lives in Encinitas.

Holly Blevins

Holly Blevins is the Firm Manager at Steigerwalt Law Firm. She works directly with staff, customers, and vendors. She oversees daily operations, bookkeeping, human resources, and management.

Holly graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with a degree in Business Administration, and a concentration in Management.

Holly is thrilled to work with such a great team at SLF. When she is out of the office she enjoys consulting, volunteering with high school youth, and exploring San Diego. Her favorite hobbies include hiking, cooking, art projects, vintage shopping, fishing, and of course, watching football.