The San Mateo County Private Defender Program (PDP) is actively involved in engaging with local communities and organizations in San Mateo County. The PDP continuously builds on its relationships with community partners, expanding our reach into the community. Members of our panel have presented to the NAACP and the Rotary Club of Redwood City. Our Chief Defender, Lisa Maguire, and PDP Client Advocates ran a voter registration drive within the San Mateo County correctional facilities, to register incarcerated individuals. PDP Head of Social Work, Harpreet Samra, has presented at the Indigent Defense Research Association at the meeting for the American Society of Criminology. PDP Head of Crim-Immigration Defense has participated in numerous Know Your Rights presentations to members within our community. The PDP Management Team has volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank and other community events, providing information to community members about post-conviction relief and outstanding warrant assistance.

More examples of ongoing PDP presence in the community are listed below. If your organization is hosting a community event and would like to invite us to participate, please contact us. We welcome opportunities to engage with the community and share information about our work.

Legal Clinics

In collaboration with LifeMoves and WeHope, the PDP regularly holds legal clinics at shelters. We are there to answer general questions regarding open criminal cases, assist with outstanding warrants, begin the process for post-conviction relief, and identify individuals who may be eligible for Homeless Connect Court (those who are working with a shelter case manager and can apply to have their outstanding traffic fines/fees in San Mateo County waived).

The PDP is also in regular contact with other shelter organizations, such as Samaritan House and Abode.

If the organization does not have a facility large enough to hold a legal clinic, we have a form that we provide to distribute to shelter case managers. If a case manager has a client who needs legal assistance, the case manager fills out the form and sends it to our organization. We follow up with the case manager and client with the information and provide the assistance requested. If the individual needs assistance in an area of law other than criminal defense or needs assistance with a case outside of San Mateo County, we do our best to direct the individuals to resources that can assist them.

Veterans Events

The PDP actively participates in Veterans events within San Mateo County, such as the Veterans Stand Down Event.

We have direct connections with our county’s Veteran Justice Outreach Coordinators to identify veterans who may need our assistance and can assist

San Mateo County (SMC) Court Community Outreach Committee

The PDP actively collaborates with the SMC Court Community Outreach Committee. This committee is comprised of justice partners within the county and organizes Law Day, Constitution Day, and Read Across America at local schools. PDP attorneys participate in these events at various schools throughout the county. The SMC Court Community Outreach Committee also organizes Fred Korematsu Day at the courthouse for local students, annually. You will find PDP attorneys taking part in this event, whether participating in the re-enactment of the trial of Fred Korematsu or engaging students in discussions about constitutional rights. The Silicon Valley Urban Debate League (SVUDL) also collaborates on this committee. SVUDL often requests PDP attorneys to meet with their student competitors prior to their competitions for tips and words of encouragement.

San Mateo Bar Association Mock Trial Competition

The Mock Trial Competition is an event that could not happen without local attorneys and judges coaching local high school students through the various rounds of competition. In addition to coaching, local attorneys and judges are asked to take on the role of the judge and scorers. There are several rounds of competition, and you’ll find PDP attorneys participating in each round as a coach, a judge and/or scorers.

Stanford Criminal Defense Clinic

The PDP works with the Stanford University School of Law’s Criminal Defense Clinic. The PDP assists the Clinic with selecting cases which are appropriate for their students and provides PDP panel attorneys to mentor their students. The PDP attorney mentors support the students and professors by informing the students about the day-to-day practice of indigent defense and practice of law in San Mateo County Superior Court, as well as advising on case law and strategy.

Civics 101 Academy

San Mateo County offers a free course to its residents that provides an in-depth view of county programs, services, finances and initiatives. Participants learn from and interact with department heads and other leaders about various topics, including the justice system. Members of our PDP management team participate and present to Civics 101 participants to provide them with an overview of the criminal justice system in San Mateo County and answer any questions they may have.

This is just a small sampling of the kind of events we participate in throughout San Mateo County. If you would like the PDP to come to your event or to speak to your organization, please reach out to our Managing Attorney of Specialty Courts and Community Engagement, Tanya Montano O’Malley at tanyao@smcba.org.