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Anna R. Yum
Criminal Defense · DUI / DWI Defense
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Freddie's Review
Anna R. Yum Has Stood on Both Sides of an Accusation—and Learned Never to Confuse a Charge With the Whole Story
Before Anna R. Yum asked juries to look beyond a criminal charge, she was the prosecutor building the case. At the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, she conducted dozens of jury trials involving domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, gang allegations and other serious crimes. She would later describe the difference between the two roles in strikingly human terms: as a prosecutor, a defendant could feel like a name on paper; as a defense attorney, she saw the careers, families and futures attached to that name.
That change in perspective became the foundation of the Law Offices of Anna R. Yum, which she established in 2008. Criminal defense remains the firm’s center. Her attorneys handle matters ranging from DUI and domestic violence to murder, sex offenses, federal charges and cases carrying gang or firearm enhancements. The advantage of Yum’s prosecutorial background is not merely that she knows how the government operates. She knows how prosecutors decide whether evidence is persuasive, where investigators may have moved too quickly and what can happen when an accusation begins driving the case before every fact has been tested.
One first-degree murder prosecution demonstrates the difference that scrutiny can make. Yum represented a client accused alongside two other people of participating in a fatal assault at a house party. Her investigation showed that the client had not joined the fight. Prosecutors dismissed every charge with prejudice before the preliminary hearing, ending the case before it could move toward trial.
In another matter, a person with no prior criminal history came to her facing 31 felony counts. The case concluded with one misdemeanor, no-contest disposition and no jail time. She has also won jury acquittals, exposed unlawful searches, preserved professional and military careers and obtained dismissals in cases where the accusation itself threatened to become a permanent punishment.
Her willingness to examine a case from more than one perspective extends beyond criminal court. Yum also represents people harmed by sexual harassment and sexual assault, and her civil matters have produced collective recoveries in the millions. That work includes a settlement for two women subjected to sexual misconduct and a hostile workplace created by the same supervisor. Defending the accused while also advocating for people reporting abuse may appear contradictory from a distance. Up close, both roles demand the same discipline: listen carefully, test the evidence and refuse to reduce a person to a category.
Television producers and legal educators have repeatedly turned to her for that kind of analysis. She has discussed self-defense, insanity defenses and nationally followed criminal trials on Fox News, CNN/HLN, Court TV, Investigation Discovery and Law & Crime. She has also taught other attorneys about defending domestic-violence cases and spoken with aspiring legal professionals about courtroom practice.
The firm has grown substantially, earning consecutive national growth rankings. Its San Diego office also maintains an impressive 4.9-star Google rating based on 266 reviews. In criminal defense, where the outcome can alter a person’s freedom and future, that level of public confidence carries real weight. But the firm’s growth, Yum’s television visibility and her professional honors are not what give her work its authority.
That authority comes from the perspective she brings to the defense. Having watched cases take shape inside a prosecutor’s office, Anna R. Yum knows where evidence can be overstated, important context can disappear and an accusation can begin to define the person facing it. She built her practice to ensure that the client’s side receives the same serious attention as the charge.
That combination of experience, reputation, verified professional standing, and public credibility is why Anna R. Yum was included on FreddieFender.com.
Credentials
- Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies and International Studies, Northwestern University, 2000.
- Juris Doctor, University of San Diego School of Law, 2005.
- Admitted to practice in Illinois.
- Admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
- Admitted to the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
- Member, San Diego County Bar Association.
- Member, Criminal Defense Bar Association of San Diego.
- Member, San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyers Club.
- Member, William B. Enright American Inn of Court.
- Member, Korean American Bar Association of San Diego.
- Member, Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego.
- Member, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego.
- Member, Illinois State Bar Association.
- Speaks Korean.
Career Highlights / Proven Experience
Career Highlights
- Firm Founder: Founded the Law Offices of Anna R. Yum in 2008 and developed the practice from a one-lawyer operation into a multi-attorney firm handling state and federal criminal cases alongside select civil matters.
- Former Felony Prosecutor: Served as a Riverside County Deputy District Attorney, where she conducted dozens of jury trials and prosecuted matters involving sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, gangs, robbery, firearm enhancements, attempted murder and first-degree murder.
- Recognized Prosecutorial Performance: Earned multiple Employee of the Month honors while serving in the District Attorney’s Office and received a nomination for Misdemeanor Deputy District Attorney of the Year.
- Experience on Both Sides of the Courtroom: Has tried numerous jury and bench trials to verdict as both a prosecutor and a criminal-defense attorney, giving her practical experience evaluating how the government investigates, charges and presents criminal cases.
- Distinguished Trial-Advocacy Record: Competed on the University of San Diego School of Law’s national mock-trial team, was inducted into the Order of Barristers and was one of four students in her graduating class to receive the American Board of Trial Advocates Award.
- Federal Judicial Experience: Served as a judicial extern to Senior United States District Judge Robert M. Takasugi in the Central District of California.
- National Legal Analyst: Has provided legal analysis for Fox News, CNN/HLN, Investigation Discovery, Court TV and Law & Crime, including commentary on nationally followed criminal trials, self-defense issues and insanity defenses. Her local media work includes NBC 7, KUSI, Fox 5 San Diego, U-T TV and KOGO radio.
- Legal Educator and Public Speaker: Has taught continuing-legal-education programming on defending domestic-violence cases and spoken to students at the University of California, San Diego, San Diego State University and Miramar College about criminal litigation and legal careers.
- Sustained Professional Recognition: Selected to Rising Stars in 2015 and to Super Lawyers in 2016 through 2018 and again from 2024 through 2026. She was also named a 2024 Leader of Influence in Law by the San Diego Business Journal.
- National Trial Recognition: Selected to The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and its Top 40 Under 40 program and previously recognized among San Diego’s Top DUI Attorneys.
- Peer Recognition Beyond Criminal Defense: Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2021 for plaintiffs’ personal-injury litigation.
- National Firm-Growth Recognition: Under Yum’s leadership, the firm ranked No. 51 on the 2022 Law Firm 500 list after reporting 210% growth and returned at No. 68 in 2023 with 112% growth.
- Advocacy for Harassment and Assault Survivors: In addition to criminal defense, Yum has spent more than a decade representing people affected by workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault, drawing upon her earlier experience prosecuting sex crimes.
Proven Experience
- First-Degree Murder Charge Dismissed With Prejudice: Represented a client accused alongside two other people of a fatal assault at a house party. Her investigation demonstrated that the client had not participated in the fight, leading prosecutors to dismiss every charge with prejudice before the preliminary hearing.
- Thirty-One Felonies Reduced to One Misdemeanor: Represented a person with no prior criminal history who initially faced 31 felony counts. The matter concluded with a single misdemeanor, no-contest disposition and no jail time.
- Military Career Protected Through Jury-Trial Victory: Defended a Marine Corps captain against domestic-violence allegations that threatened his military career. The jury returned a not-guilty verdict on the most serious charge and divided 9–3 in favor of acquittal on the remaining count, which the judge then dismissed.
- Medical Student’s Burglary Case Dismissed: Obtained a dismissal with prejudice for a medical student charged with residential burglary, allowing the client to remain enrolled, complete the educational path and become a licensed physician.
- Felony Domestic-Violence Case Dismissed Before Trial: Defended a client facing nearly ten years in prison in a case involving an alleged deadly weapon. Following the preliminary hearing, extensive investigation and challenges to the complaining witness’s credibility, the entire case was dismissed before trial.
- Restraining Order Defeated With Fees Awarded: Defended a client against serious accusations raised in a temporary-restraining-order proceeding. After a contested hearing, the court rejected the allegations, denied the requested order and required the petitioner to reimburse the client’s attorney’s fees and costs.
- Counterfeit-Currency Jury Acquittal: Won a not-guilty verdict for a client accused of possessing approximately $1,000 in counterfeit currency, preserving the client’s taxi license and employment.
- Illegal Detention Exposed and Drug Case Dismissed: Successfully challenged a vehicle detention and search that produced controlled substances. The court granted the motion to suppress the evidence, leaving the prosecution without its central evidence and resulting in dismissal.
- Driving Privileges Preserved After DUI Charge: Successfully challenged a driver’s-license suspension through a court writ, secured a reduction of a second DUI charge to wet reckless and obtained a resolution involving no jail time or license suspension.
- Federal Criminal Charge Dismissed: Secured the dismissal of a reckless-driving prosecution filed against a client in federal court.
- Millions Recovered for Civil Clients: Has obtained collective recoveries totaling millions of dollars for people harmed through sexual harassment and sexual assault. Her reported matters include a settlement for two women subjected to sexual misconduct and a hostile workplace created by the same supervisor.
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