Ricardo García (attorney) facts for kids

Ricardo García is a lawyer in the United States who helps people accused of crimes. He is currently the main Public Defender for Los Angeles County Public Defender's office. This office is the biggest one of its kind in the United States. Mr. García is the eleventh person to hold this important job in Los Angeles County. He is also the first Latino person to be the Public Defender there.

Mr. García has also taught law at California Western School of Law. He helped teach at a special program at Santa Clara University about complex legal cases.

Early Life and Education

Ricardo García was born in Los Angeles. His parents came from Mexico. He is the oldest of seven children. He was also the first in his family to go to college.

He studied at the University of California, Santa Cruz, getting a degree in Politics in 1991. Later, he earned his law degree, called a Juris Doctor, in 1995 from the UC Berkeley School of Law. He started his work as a lawyer in 1995.

Legal Career

Helping People in San Diego

After finishing law school, Mr. García started working at the San Diego County Public Defender's office in 1995. While in San Diego, he was chosen to work in special teams. These teams handled more complex and important cases. He was the youngest lawyer to join the team that worked on serious criminal cases.

Mr. García worked on several well-known cases during his time in San Diego. He represented Nathaniel Gann, who was accused of being involved in a serious crime. Gann was found guilty and received a long prison sentence. This case became famous around the world. It was even shown on TV shows like "48 Hours Mystery". This helped make Mr. García known globally.

He also represented Jorge Rojas Lopez. In this case, the prosecutor wanted a very serious penalty. Mr. Rojas was found guilty of some of the charges, but not all. The jury could not agree on the most serious penalty. After this, he agreed to a plea deal to avoid the most serious outcome. This trial lasted almost fifteen months. It was one of the longest criminal jury trials in California's history.

Working for Civil Rights

From 2004 to 2006, Mr. García worked as the Criminal Justice Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California. In this role, he made sure that the Los Angeles Police Department followed certain rules. He also checked on the conditions inside the Los Angeles County jails.

Mr. García was also in charge of creating new policies for criminal justice at the ACLU. He worked on cases in higher courts, helping people who were in state prisons.

Leading the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office

In 2018, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors chose Mr. García to be the Public Defender for Los Angeles County. He is the first Latino person to hold this position. He was also the youngest person appointed to this role in the County.

When California Governor Gavin Newsom stopped the use of the death penalty, Mr. García supported this decision. He wrote that the governor's choice helps California move closer to ending a system that "fails to improve public safety." In 2020, Mr. García started a new plan for his department. This was the first major plan for the office in over twenty years. Mr. García is known as a strong supporter in the community and a respected leader in helping people accused of crimes.

Awards

• Trial Lawyer of the Year by the San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association (2015)
• Dale Melvin Ray Memorial Award for Excellence in the Representation of the Indigent by San Diego County’s Department of the Alternate Public Defender