Joseph Seipel began his career in the legal field working as a law clerk at Blair Defense Criminal Lawyers in November of 2018, and he became an associate after passing the California Bar Exam in October of 2020. Over the last several years, he has gained extensive experience in both state and federal courts, working on cases from pre-file investigations to jury trials.

In his capacity as a criminal defense attorney, Mr. Seipel has successfully prevented charges from being filed in several cases and has obtained dismissals or reductions in charges at various stages of the criminal process, including after contested preliminary hearings. He has taken numerous cases to trial and has obtained either a not-guilty verdict, a hung jury, or a favorable settlement on the day of, or even during, trial.

He has been heavily involved in state court appeals on life-top cases, including murders, petitions to the Supreme Court of California, Petitions for Writs of Mandate, Motions to Suppress Evidence, Petitions for Habeas Corpus, and appeals to the 9th Circuit for the United States Court of Appeals. He has also obtained restraining orders on behalf of petitioners and successfully defended restraining orders on behalf of respondents. 

Over the last several years, Mr. Seipel has expanded his practice to include personal injury cases. In this capacity, he has obtained excellent settlement results for those injured in accidents in both California and Hawaii. He has also represented dozens of individuals affected by the Maui Wildfires.

Throughout his career, Mr. Seipel has developed close working relationships with a number of prominent criminal defense attorneys in San Diego, California, and Hawaii, working “of counsel” to assist them with research, writing, trial preparation, negotiations, depositions, and court hearings. Mr. Seipel leverages these working relationships with some of California and Hawaii’s most experienced and well-respected attorneys to excel in his own practice and maximize his effectiveness for all his clients.

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Seipel pursued his undergraduate degree at Bowling Green State University on a full-ride scholarship as an Alumni Laureate Scholar, where he worked as an assistant to a successful author and tenured professor of Critical Thinking. After graduating magna cum laude in 2016, he headed west to attend the University of San Diego School of Law on a Dean’s Honors Scholarship.

While at USD, he competed in national mock trial competitions, worked as a research assistant for a constitutional law scholar, and was awarded the Virginia C. Nelson Graduation Prize in Advanced Advocacy. He graduated cum laude in May of 2020.

Mr. Seipel currently serves as the criminal defense editor for Trial Bar News. He is licensed to practice law in the States of California and Hawaii. He is also admitted to practice in the Southern District of California and the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.