The Federal Public Defender is appointed by the Ninth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals to serve a term of four years.  All employees of the Federal Public Defender are employed by the judicial branch of the U.S. Government.

The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California is the largest federal public defender agency in the United States. The Central District of California covers seven counties (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura) and a population of over 19 million people. We have offices in Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Riverside.

The main office is located in the Little Tokyo section of downtown Los Angeles with branch offices in Riverside and Santa Ana California. The office has over 200 employees, including 82 attorneys, 24 paralegals, 34 investigators and more than 75 supporting staff members. The Office supports two units: the Trial Unit and the Capital Habeas Unit.  The attorneys in our Trial Unit are appointed by the court to represent those persons charged with federal offenses who cannot afford to retain their own attorney. 

The attorneys in our Capital Habeas Unit represent persons who have been sentenced to death by state court juries from within this District, and whose convictions have proceeded through the state court appellate process and are now before the federal court on claims involving federal constitutional violations. We represent these clients in habeas corpus proceedings in the District Court, and later in the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. The Unit also handles capital cases arising from federal death-penalty crimes.

We represent over 60 percent of all persons charged with criminal offenses in this District. Our representation starts at the first bail hearing before the federal Magistrate Judge and continues through trial or plea, and sentencing in the U.S. District Court. Even after sentencing, we continue to represent our clients on appeal before the Ninth Circuit and United States Supreme Court, and thereafter on matters concerning probation or supervised release.

Our attorneys are highly experienced federal court practitioners who collectively bring more than 1000 years of legal practice experience to serve the interests of our clients. Our attorneys come from accredited law schools throughout the country.  Many have graduated with honors in undergraduate school as well as in law school, and many have served as attorney-clerks for federal district courts and federal circuit courts before being employed by the Office.

Almost all of our attorneys have gained experience in the private, public interest or judicial sector before being selected as an attorney in this Office. This experience, which includes employment in various disciplines, such as engineering, accounting, banking, dramatic arts, and teaching, or in litigation involving either civil or criminal law, provides a breadth of knowledge and experience which enhances our ability to provide outstanding assistance to our clients. 

Our attorneys and our support staff are regularly involved in rigorous training and on-going legal education, both formal and informal, throughout their employment with the Office. The training includes in-house presentations on subjects dealing with current issues involving our clients, as well as numerous seminars and training colleges conducted throughout the nation by both the federal government and private facilitators. We also engage in extensive, formal  training and seminars for  private attorneys in federal criminal trial matters, federal appeals, and federal habeas corpus.