Professional Legal History

I passed the California Bar exam in 1979 and went directly to work in the Monterey County Public Defender's Office as Keenan counsel on a death penalty case.

From 1980 to 1982 I handled misdemeanors in Salinas Municipal Court and tried over 60 jury trials. I also briefed and argued appeals and writs to the Appellate and Supreme Courts of California. From 1982 to 1985 I was assigned to felonies and tried over 20 felony jury trials. During the same period I handled the LPS conservatorship calendar and tried over 10 conservatorship jury trials. In 1985 I took a brief sabbatical leave from Monterey County. Late in 1985 I went to work for the Santa Cruz County Public Defender (Biggam , Christensen and Minsloff, a contract P.D.) where I worked as the Municipal Court felony deputy.

In 1986 I returned to work at the Monterey County Public Defender's office. In addition to handling a normal misdemeanor calendar I supervised four other attorneys.

In 1987 I returned to Salinas Superior Court and felony practice, including capital cases. In 1988 I wrote an application to the Office of Criminal Justice Planning for a grant to fund the defense of indigent defendants designated as Career Criminals. The Public Defender's Office was awarded the grant and for the next two years I was the designated Career Criminal Deputy for the office. During that time I tried 15 serious felony jury trials. In addition to the serious felony trials, I tried over 30 felony jury trials between 1987 and 1997.

From 1997 to 2001 a law partner and I held the contract for public defender services for Calaveras County. During our tenure I handled juveniles (W&I Code §600's), probate and LPS conservatorships and felonies. I have tried 3 felony jury trials and 1 LPS conservatorship trial in Calaveras County Superior Court. Shortly after my partner became the District Attorney for Calaveras County I tendered my resignation as Public Defender.

From 2002 to 2003 I was the Public Defender for Tuolumne County. I tried 8 felony jury trials in Tuolumne County Superior Court.

Teaching, Lectures and Consulting

Between 1985 and 1995 I served as consultant to the lobbyist for California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ) and as a consulting expert on California Public Defender's Association's (CPDA) 'Hot Sheet' list of attorney experts available to defense attorneys on short notice on the subject of insanity/mental issues.
In 1984 I taught a 10 week summer course at Monterey College of Law entitled Mental Health Psychiatry and the Law.

I have delivered lectures on Mental Competence, Insanity and the LPS system at CPDA training seminars in Monterey, Napa and Emeryville.

In 1989 I delivered a lecture at a joint CPDA/OCJP convention in San Diego on the topic of handling serious felony prior allegations in Career Criminal prosecutions.