"While I don't otherwise consider myself to be competitive, when I'm trying a case my entire focus is on winning."
While a student at La Salle University, Joanna Cruz recalled her grandmother's advice when reassessing her plans to become a doctor. "You should be a lawyer because you always have an answer for everything," her grandmother often told her.
The daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants who never completed high school, Joanna grew up in the Tioga section of Philadelphia. Upon graduation from La Salle, she attended Temple Law School at night while working in a city law firm.
As a law student, Joanna discovered her passion for litigation while covering a juvenile proceeding for a colleague. "Winning the motion provided a huge adrenaline rush. The competition was exhilarating."
Upon obtaining her law degree, Joanna was an associate focusing on criminal defense and family law in the same firm she had previously had previously worked as a paralegal and secretary. In 2000, she joined the Office of the Public Defender of Montgomery County. As a full-time Assistant Public Defender, Joanna was afforded vast experience in criminal litigation and ultimately served as a Team Leader, managing other attorneys and reviewing case files.
Since joining Kerns Pearlstine in March, 2008, Joanna has concentrated on representing clients in criminal, domestic and real estate matters. She still handles cases on behalf of the Montgomery County Public Defender's Office and is active in numerous civic and legal organizations.
Appointed in February, 2011 by Governor Tom Corbett, Joanna is a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). The DRPA owns and operates the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry, and Betsy Ross bridges as well as the PATCO high-speed line and the RiverLink Ferry.
Joanna is currently admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit the United States, and U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
A member of the Pennsylvania Hispanic Bar Association, Joanna has served as the Treasurer of the Lansdale Republican Committee and as a member of the Outreach Committee of the Montgomery County Republican Committee. She was the first Hispanic to be nominated by either political party for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County.
Joanna enjoys sports, particularly baseball and football, music, dancing, working out, reading, and, especially, spending time with her daughter Victoria in her free time.
Email: jcruz@kernslaw.com
