Jose “Joey” Guadalupe Cantu grew up in the Rio Grande Valley city of Edinburg and attended the University of Texas at Austin where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2007 and Juris Doctorate in 2011. Joey has been involved in criminal defense since 2007 when he first worked under longtime Austin criminal defense attorney Bill White.
While in law school, Joey participated in the Actual Innocence and Criminal Defense Clinics. In 2011, he began practicing law in Colorado as a Deputy Public Defender for the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office where he tried cases ranging from misdemeanors to homicides. He was promoted to Senior Deputy in 2016.
Joey left the Public Defender’s Office in 2018 and opened Cantu Law, LLC in Pueblo where he continued to practice criminal defense all across southeastern Colorado from Lamar to Trinidad. In 2019, he continued his trial work on homicide cases in Bent and Huerfano Counties.
In 2021, Joey moved back to his home state of Texas and continued his practice of criminal law. He worked for Dunham & Jones law firm handling misdemeanors and felonies in Williamson and Travis Counties as well as eastern parts of the state bordering with Louisiana.
Joey was brought on board by Jeff Peek in September 2022 to manage the Criminal Department of Peek Law Group where he mentors his team and continues to handle all types of criminal cases. He has devoted his entire career to the representation of those in need and continues to do so while living in Austin with his wife Emily, daughter Téa and chocolate lab Arlo.
Bar Admissions & Affiliations:
- State Bar of Colorado
- State Bar of Texas
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association
- Williamson County Bar Association
Professional Experience:
- Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, Senior Deputy Public Defender, 2011-2018
- Cantu Law, LLC, Owner, 2019-2021
- Dunham & Jones, PC, Attorney at Law, 2021-2022
- Peek Law Group, Managing Attorney, 2022-present
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