Thursday, May 13, 2010

Public Defender Honored

                   NEWS RELEASE

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES 

                                    Contact:  Judy Hammond, Director of Public Affairs, (213) 974-1363

 Brian Lew, Assistant Director, (213) 974-1652 

       

May 13, 2010

 

Michael P. Judge Presented Lifetime Achievement Award

His Dedication Said to be Without Equal

 

 

Los Angeles County Acting Public Defender Michael P. Judge will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Public Defender’s Association (CPDA) on Thursday (May 14).

 

The award will be presented at the CPDA’s 41st annual convention in Palm Springs.

 

Judge retired as public defender on March 31 after serving 16 years, but continues to lead the department while the Board of Supervisors searches for his replacement.  He joined the office as a trial deputy in 1969, the year he was admitted to practice.

 

He was the County’s ninth public defender.

 

Bart Sheela, CPDA president, said Judge’s “dedication to the cause of public defenders and indigent clients is without equal in our profession.”

 

He said Judge had “worked tirelessly and collaboratively with legislators, judges, prosecutors, and public defenders to help establish rules of fairness and equality that will benefit our communities, our clients and all public defenders.  (His) vision of leadership and mentoring will continue to guide our profession for years to come.”

 

CPDA said it was honoring Judge to recognize his dedication to CPDA, public defender training and office management.

 

Judge has received a number of recognitions for his efforts to promote diversity by hiring and promoting women and minorities, for improving the legal system for indigent youth, and for his successful efforts in getting federal legislation passed that encouraged law school graduates to choose a career in public service.

 

Judge received his undergraduate and law degrees from UCLA.

 

The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office is the largest criminal defense firm in the world.

 

 

--lacounty.gov--

 

No comments: