Biography
Years before I ever set foot in law school, I read The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo by Oscar Zeta Acosta—and I knew I wanted to be that kind of lawyer: loud, relentless, and fighting for the underdog. The only job I’ve ever had as an attorney is public defender—and 25+ years and dozens of jury trials later, I still believe public defense is the civil rights struggle of our time. I’m currently the Director of Training for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, a proud faculty member of CPDA’s Basic Trial Skills Institute for over a decade, and co-chair of CPDA’s Training Committee. I love training because I believe in our work, in our people, and in the next generation. Sister Helen Prejean said it best: “The dignity of the human person means that every human being is worth more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.” That’s why I do this work—and I can’t wait to learn alongside you.
