Community Service

Our attorneys and staff live and work in Maricopa County. As citizens of the County we serve, we prioritize responding to our community’s needs. We do this through organized participation by our office in events and through our own workers’ independent involvement in their local communities.

As part of the Office of Public Defense Services (OPDS), we, along with the Office of the Legal Defender, Office of the Public Defender, and Office of the Public Advocate are available to use our skill sets to serve you! 


Learn more about the services we offer

We are available to serve the community in a variety of ways. 

First, we have a range of legal experts available to speak to outside groups on the criminal justice system, criminal defense, and systemic criminal justice issues. This is a free service to residents of Maricopa County, and both our experienced Deputy Legal Advocates and our support staff make presentations. 

Possible topics include:

business-professionals
  • Smart Justice initiatives
  • Careers in Public Defense and Criminal Justice
  • Death Penalty
  • Restorative Justice
  • Knowing Your Constitutional Rights
  • Specialty Courts
  • Families & the Criminal Justice System
  • Community-oriented Justice Initiatives
  • Restoration of Rights & Set Aside

We are also available if you are at a school, non-profit, or other organization and would like us to prepare a workshop or participate or host another event related to the work we do in our office. Some ideas for possible workshops and events are listed below:

  • Wrap Around Public School Services - We are available to meet with students, staff, and/or parents on understanding the impact of a criminal charge, past conviction, or current incarceration on students and their families. We can offer possible help with understanding what it’s like to visit a jail or prison, to helping parents with convictions apply for set asides or restoration of their rights, to workshopping with teachers how to respond to a child whose parent is engaged in the criminal justice system.
  • Mock Trial - We are available as judges for already-planned mock trial events, as well as available to host mock trials for kids of all ages in their schools while teaching them valuable lessons about the US legal system, deductive reasoning, and logical analysis.
  • School to Lawyer Pipeline - Planned in advance, we are available to meet on a regular basis to provide after-school programming to children who have a higher risk of entering the criminal justice system and instead providing them an opportunity to learn about the US legal system. These programs provide a basis in constitutional law, Arizona law, criminal justice, and oral advocacy, among other topics.
  • Career Days - We can attend career days to let students know what it’s like to be a criminal trial lawyer, an appellate lawyer, or a capital offense lawyer. For law students, we can provide information on the benefits of public service and government work and do on campus interviews for externships and clerkships.  
If you’d like to request a speaker, please fill out the Community Outreach Request Form and allow at least four weeks’ notice before the event.