| For Immediate Release June 19th, 2003 |
Contact: | Susan Kang Schroeder Deputy District Attorney (714) 347-8408 (O) (714) 292-2718 (C) |
PRIVATE TRIAL ATTORNEYS TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP THE PUBLIC PROSECUTE CRIMES
SANTA ANA – June 19, 2003 – The Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) announces the formation of a new program, called Trial Attorney Partnership (TAP), which will provide well qualified, experienced trial attorneys to prosecute crimes on a volunteer basis at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
OCDA recruited attorneys from local, prestigious private law firms to receive an intense one-week training on prosecutorial skills and then work full time for eight weeks. There are seven volunteer attorneys in the initial phase of the program. These attorneys will be assigned to different courts where they will conduct all misdemeanor and juvenile deputy duties including case filing, pretrial conferences, motions, hearings and jury trials.
“This public-private partnership will add top-notch attorneys to our team at no extra cost to the taxpayers and increase my office’s ability to handle our large case loads and better serve the public. This will help our efforts in battling some of the budgetary shortfalls,” stated Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.
Participating law firms include: Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Franklin, Bevins & McCall, Newmeyer & Dillon, Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson, Shepard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, and Walsworth, Shook, Hardy & Bacon. “I commend the public spirit of these law firms for allowing their attorneys to take a leave of absence and provide a much-needed public service,” stated Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.
TAP will continue throughout the remainder of this year and a new recruitment will be held in the fall for next year’s TAP program. Interested civil attorneys may send a cover letter and resume to the District Attorney’s Office located at 401 Civic Center Drive, Santa Ana, CA 92701, c/o Todd Hart, Director Government & Community Relations.