Joanna spent more than five years working for a Los Angeles firm where she engaged in a varied practice including taxation, business transactions and general civil litigation.  Her pro bono work included advising nonprofit organizations working towards sustainable development in California.

Joanna received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of California, Berkeley in 1999, where she was affiliated with and held an executive position in Alpha Phi sorority.  During college, Joanna spent a year studying African political and economic development at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Choosing to remain in California, in 2003 Joanna received her Juris Doctorate from University of California, Davis, King Hall School of Law.  While in law school, Joanna interned at the Franchise Tax Board, gaining valuable insight into California taxation.  In 2004 she earned a Masters of Law in Taxation from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where her graduate thesis examined state taxation of gambling and Indian gaming in California.   

In the fall of 2009, Joanna relocated to Ventura and became an associate at Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP.  A member of the State Bar of California since 2003, Joanna is also member of the Ventura County Bar Association, Women Lawyers of Ventura County and the CPA/Law Society of Ventura County.

Recent Publications:

• "New IRA Rules Mean Changes For Taxpayers " (Citations, March 2010).