The Law Office of the Los Angeles County Public Defender, established in 1914, celebrated its 100th anniversary Tuesday. The Office of the Public Defender was the first governmental criminal defense firm in the United States and today remains the largest.

In its extensive history, the Office has provided representation to countless indigent individuals who cannot afford to hire an attorney. The Public Defender’s Office has provided leadership in pursuing unique solutions for its clients through the use of various specialized courts – including the Adult and Juvenile Drug Courts, Veteran’s Court, Co-Occurring Disorders Court and Women’s’ Reentry Court as well as Public Defender initiatives — including the Public Integrity Assurance Section (PIAS), the DNA Unit, and the Public Defender Juvenile Division’s Client Assessment Recommendation and Evaluation (CARE) Project.

The Los Angeles County Public Defender has always remained on the cutting edge of jurisprudence, establishing its office over fifty years before the landmark Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainright (1963) established the universal right to counsel in criminal cases for those who could not afford a private attorney.

“We are proud of the high quality legal representation and service we provide to our clients and to the County of Los Angeles,” remarked Ronald Brown, Chief Public Defender.

The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office is both the oldest and largest full service local governmental defender in the United States, with over 1,200 employees in 35 office locations throughout the county.  The Office is widely recognized as an innovative, award winning national leader in defense advocacy on behalf of adults and children in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.