Jonathan T. Martinez

Practice areas

Advisory, transactional, and litigation

Background and experience

Mr. Martinez is an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Santa Ana. He advises City departments on legal issues, drafts and reviews transactional documents, and handles litigated matters. His regular assignments include providing counsel to the Public Works Agency, Information Technology and  and the Police Oversight Commission, amongst other tasks.   Mr. Martinez is experienced in drafting and preparing legal documents, including city ordinances, policies, resolutions, memoranda to city council and staff, contracts, and opinion letters.

Prior to joining the City, Mr. Martinez represented automobile manufacturers, automobile distributors, and national automotive retailers in both litigated and transactional matters. Mr. Martinez has defended hundreds of cases in both state and federal court and maintains robust experience throughout all stages of litigation, as well as the preparation of various agreements, memoranda, contracts, and policy guidelines on behalf of his former corporate clients.

Mr. Martinez joined the City in January 2023.

Professional affiliations

Mr. Martinez is admitted to practice law in California and before the United States District Court for the Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California.

Education

Mr. Martinez earned a B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach in 2011 and a J.D. from Western State College of Law in 2016. During law school, he served as Vice President to the Honors Moot Court Team, where he competed in appellate competitions throughout the nation, and was also awarded the Dean’s Fellow Scholarship in his second and third years of law school.