Elizabeth Caballero and Jonathan Gettleman met in law school at the University of Arizona in 1999. Both found that they shared a mutual passion for fighting against injustice and serving the accused and the dispossessed. After graduating from law school, Elizabeth clerked with a federal magistrate judge and Jonathan clerked with a criminal defense attorney. Both experiences were transformative. This made them eager to cultivate their own practice, one that combined their passion to pursue justice while representing each client with respect and compassion.
In 2004, after living in Mexico, Elizabeth and Jonathan returned to Jonathan’s home state of Pennsylvania to get married and practice criminal defense before pursuing their dream to practice law in Santa Cruz. Elizabeth and Jonathan moved to Santa Cruz in 2005 where Elizabeth practiced in dependency court for two years and Jonathan practiced with the California Rural Legal Assistance in the migrant farm worker division in Salinas, CA. In 2008, Jonathan opened up his own private practice, focusing on criminal defense, civil rights and employment law. After practicing as a public defender for 7 years with the law firm Wallraff & Associates, Elizabeth and Jonathan decided to join forces and open up their own law firm.
In 2015, Caballero & Gettleman Law Office, Inc. opened its doors. Since then, we have successfully litigated many criminal cases and have recovered close to 2 million dollars for our civil litigants. But more than outcomes, we also focus on counseling our clients as they navigate an all too often confusing and stressful legal landscape. We try and explain in plain language the legal terminology so that each client understands the magnitude and full scope of the legal process. Our goal is to provide our clients with the best possible universe of options in order to make the best informed decision. Elizabeth and Jonathan firmly believe that good options lead to just results.