Founder | The Law Office of Jeffrey Kaloustian

Since proudly establishing his law firm in downtown Oakland, California in 2011, Jeffrey has clearly established himself as one of northern California's truly exceptional attorneys. Jeffrey's honest, compassionate, and skilled legal services are in high demand in the Sierra Nevada foothills and greater Sacramento area where he serves clients with diverse needs. Attorney Kaloustian continues to serve San Francisco Bay Area clients from his office on Telegraph Avenue. 

He is also a passionate international human rights defender, and his humanitarian and pro-bono work informs and improves his stellar service as a criminal defense attorney. He was selected to the Super Lawyers® “Rising Stars” list for 5 consecutive years (2016 - 2020) and maintains a “Superb” 10/10 rating on Avvo.

After obtaining his undergraduate degree from the University of Utah in 1997, Mr. Kaloustian spent several years working in the outdoor industry, ski patrolling in N. Lake Tahoe (Palisades Tahoe) and leading trips for the Colorado Outward Bound School, before making the transition to law school at the University of San Francisco School of Law. As he tells it:

“I became very interested in the law and conflict resolution, and as I started my law courses I got more involved in international human rights and advocacy. I did a lot of international human rights work through USF as a student, and I started to see links between that international practice and United States criminal defense work. So my niche developed very naturally.”

During law school, Mr. Kaloustian served on the USF Law Review, co-chaired the Public Interest Law Foundation, received a certificate in public interest law and was honored with the school's prestigious Pursuit of Justice Award (2009) upon graduation. Mr. Kaloustian graduated with his Juris Doctorate and was licensed in 2010, after which he became a fellow at the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Dharamsala, India. Connections he made in India in 2010 led to Jeffrey helping co-found the Austin, Texas-based International Center for Mental Health and Human Rights. Mr. Kaloustian also worked a Program Officer for The Forgotten International and contributed substantially, through research, writing and trip-planning, to the “Living on a Dollar a Day” book project.

He opened his firm, the Law Office of Jeffrey Kaloustian, in 2011, and worked tirelessly to expand it into the bustling practice it is today while simultaneously gaining valuable criminal defense experience at another local firm, Summit Defense. In 2013, Mr. Kaloustian committed full-time to the development and expansion of his private practice.  A true lover of Nature, Jeffrey moved to Nevada County, California in 2019 and proudly opened his Grass Valley office location in August 2020. He describes being "warmly welcomed" into the legal community in the Sierra Nevada foothills. 

Today, Mr. Kaloustian is known throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Sierra Nevada foothills for his industry-leading client advocacy. Dedicated to obtaining justice, he leaves no stone unturned in crafting personalized legal strategies for each and every one of his clients. Along the way, he has developed a reputation for honest and prompt communication and is known not only as a fierce advocate but also as a compassionate professional that clients can trust.

The majority of Mr. Kaloustian's practice has historically consisted of criminal defense, including DUI/DUID defense, drug possession and distribution cases, medical cannabis defense, and defense against police-related claims such as resisting arrest. Additionally, he is a diversely talented and adaptable attorney who has also defended claims of white-collar crime, sex crimes and more. He notes about his criminal defense practice:

“The California courts and legislature continue to pass innovative legal tools for defense attorneys to put into immediate practice. Those include the expansion of Diversion Programs and Collaborative Court programs. Clients who successfully participate in and complete those programs have their cases dismissed. These exciting new laws programs expand my problem-solving toolkit for clients and significantly influence defense strategy in many of my cases." 

In addition, Jeffrey now boasts over a decade of experience successfully representing clients for a variety of personal injury claims.

As a thought-leader in the law, Mr. Kaloustian is exposed to a wide range of trends and changes in his areas of specialty. His expertise in the defense of cannabis cases law has led to an exciting expanding profile of services for the cannabis industry

Domestic legal challenges aside, Mr. Kaloustian has also carried with him the sensitivity to international issues he began developing in law school. His experiences both abroad and in the outdoor industry instilled in him a sense of stewardship and responsibility for making the world a better place. Today, he is intimately involved with humanitarian advocacy worldwide, through pro bono services and also, recently, with advocacy at the United Nations as the President of the Board of Directors of Human Rights Advocates, a Berkeley-based nonprofit.

Looking forward, Mr. Kaloustian plans to continue delivering both the rock-solid results and stellar client service for which he has become known. Jeffrey is also working on a non profit project that combines his love for the law, community service, outdoor leadership and restorative justice..

Detailed Career Information

Education

• University of Utah (B.S., Geography 1997)
• University of Nevada, Reno (Extended Studies, Non-Profit Management Certificate, 2005) 
• University of San Francisco (USF) School of Law (J.D., 2009)
  • Public Interest Law Certificate (2009) 
  • Member, USF Law Review
  • Co-Chair, Public Interest Law Foundation 
  • Recipient, USF Pursuit of Justice Award (2009)

Admissions to Practice Law 

• Supreme Court of California (SBN # 271001, admitted 2010) 
• United States District Court, Northern District of California (admitted 2011) 
• United States District Court, Eastern District of California (admitted 2022) 

Selected List of Professional Membership & Community Involvements

• Psychedelic Bar Associationdelic Bar Associationdelic Bar AssociationPsychedelic Bar Association
• Nevada County Cannabis Alliance, Business Member
• National Lawyers Guild
• Human Rights Advocates
• California DUI Lawyers Association
• International Cannabis Bar Association
• CaNORML
• South India Cell for Human Rights Education & Monitoring
• Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
• Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
• Community Boards of San Francisco

Awards & Honors

• Super Lawyers® “Rising Stars” Selected 5 consecutive years (2016 - 2020)
• Avvo “Superb” Rating 10/10 
• University of San Francisco School of Law Pursuit of Justice Award 2009
• Pro Bono Publico Awards – Public Interest Clearinghouse – 2008 & 2009