Irene A. Pai brings more than thirty years of exclusive criminal defense experience and is a Certified Criminal Law Specialist by the State Bar of California—a distinction held by a small percentage of attorneys who have demonstrated exceptional skill, knowledge, and trial experience in criminal law. Criminal Law is complex and high-stakes. A Certified Criminal Law Specialist has the expertise and courtroom experience to guide you through it with confidence.

Over the course of her career, Irene has litigated hundreds of criminal cases, including motions, evidentiary hearings, preliminary hearings, and jury trials. She has cross-examined more than a thousand law enforcement officers and has filed and successfully argued thousands of motions against district attorneys and city attorneys—challenging unlawful searches and seizures, suppressing statements, and seeking dismissals, sentence reductions, and post-conviction relief. Her appellate work includes cases before the Appellate Division of the Superior Court, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court.

Irene earned her undergraduate degree with honors from UC Berkeley and her law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. She spent thirty years with the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, where she concluded her career as Training Officer, responsible for preparing attorneys to litigate at the highest levels of ethics, skill, and compassion. She also serves as a Lecturer at UCI Law.

This depth of experience allows Irene to quickly identify the legal and factual defenses that matter most—and to prepare each case with precision, honesty, and care, whether through litigation or strategic resolution.  

When the full power of the government is brought against someone you love, you want an attorney who believes in them, tells the truth, and fights relentlessly. Irene stands beside her clients and their families every step of the way.