John Hanusz

For more than 25 years, attorney John Hanusz has handled complex, high-stakes criminal and related matters, handling investigations by government, educational and religious institutions as well as trial and appellate proceedings. At his firm – Hanusz Law, PC, in Pasadena, California, he focuses his practice on criminal defense, including white collar crimes, federal crimes and state court offenses, along with other matters regarding investigation targets, grand jury witnesses and appeals.

Early in his career, Mr. Hanusz worked on habeas corpus cases for death row clients in the Deep South, where rigorous investigation and careful storytelling were essential. His efforts there helped secure multiple successful petitions and played a role in advancing executive clemency requests for deserving clients. He draws on his experiences to guard clients’ liberties and livelihoods, addressing both legal issues and the human context that surrounds each case.

During a decade-plus tenure as a Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles, Mr. Hanusz handled hundreds of matters from misdemeanors to capital murder and took numerous matters to jury verdict. His courtroom practice produced a range of favorable outcomes, including declinations, dismissals, acquittals, successful appeals and constructive sentencing results.

Mr. Hanusz earned his J.D. from The Ohio State University College of Law Michael E. Moritz and his B.A. from Ohio University. Admitted in California and Georgia, he has appeared in trial and appellate courts and administrative tribunals across the country. Since entering private practice in 2017, his work has included defense of individuals accused of tax, wire and mail fraud; representation of health care providers in fraud prosecutions; advocacy for professors and students in university misconduct inquiries; and defense in export control, conspiracy, money laundering and environmental matters. He also serves on the Criminal Justice Act panel, regularly representing indigent federal defendants.

Beyond practice, Mr. Hanusz serves on the boards of the Valenzuela Foundation and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and brings prior experience as a legal journalist in Los Angeles and a book editor in Jakarta. His client-focused, tenacious advocacy has earned recognition from peers and the press, including notice from the Los Angeles Daily Journal. In addition, he holds an AV Preeminent* peer-review rating through Martindale-Hubbell.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.