About

A little about us

As a personal injury and estate planning firm, we are aware that people make the call to our office at a vulnerable and stressful time. Since its establishment in 2013, Pena Law has been a firm in San Diego where clients feel valued and not lost in a herd of countless cases. Pena Law was created to be a firm where clients called and received the best legal advice and personal attention to guide them through the grueling legal process. We value our clients’ and their families’ well-being, and we approach each case with the utmost compassion and dedication to fight for the maximum compensation for their losses.

We may be a small firm, but we don’t play small. Pena Law is skilled and successful in handling a variety of different personal injury cases that have resulted in exceedingly favorable results for our clients. The legal process can be tricky, confusing and undeniably overwhelming. We want to help clients answer all their questions, as we know there will be many, and provide guidance that brings big results without the headache.

Our team knows that each case is unique and time is key, and that is why we are committed to providing real-time answers and acting quickly to maximize each client’s case results.

Vanessa holding up a sign saying "Because your well-being is our business"
Headshot of attorney Vanessa Pena

Awards

  • 2020 - Super Lawyers, Selected Member
  • 2019 - Super Lawyers, Rising Star
  • 2016 - Best of the Bar, San Diego Business Journal
  • 2012 - Jefferson Scholar, Thomas
  • Jefferson School of Law
  • 2011 - Witkin Award of Excellence, Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Education

  • Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 2012, J.D.
  • California State University, San Marcos, 2008, B.A.

Meet Vanessa Pena

Founder & Lead Attorney

Headshot of attorney Vanessa Pena

At Pena Law we try to stay away from cheesy billboard lawyer lines, but we couldn’t help but resonate strongly with this one:

For Others, It’s Just Business. For Us, It’s Personal.

This couldn’t be more true to Vanessa Pena’s journey into personal injury law. The first case she ever filed was a bad faith claim against a big health insurance company that was wrongfully denying coverage to a friend. Vanessa quickly saw that these health insurance companies were acting negligently and careless in their back-end operations that was dangerously affecting the well-being of their clients. She knew that the only way that people had a fighting chance against these insurance companies was if they had a legal advocate on their side. Needless to say, Vanessa won her friend’s case and has been a strong opponent against big insurance companies since.

Just like helping a friend in need, Vanessa believes each and every client that chooses Pena Law for their case is a part of our family, one she will fight for and support through every step of the process. She has built a genuine reputation for being a tireless advocate and assertively demanding and winning maximum settlements for her clients.

As a local to Southern California, Vanessa attended law school in downtown San Diego and graduated in the top of her class. She received multiple awards throughout her time in law school for her academic achievements. Upon graduating from law school, she worked for a well-known personal injury defense law firm where she learned the inside world of how insurance companies work.

When she’s not putting the gloves on to battle insurance companies and defense firms, Vanessa wears the “mom hat” raising three boys and two happy pups.