Jeff Adachi - Legal Career

Legal Career

Adachi began his career as a deputy public defender for fifteen years with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. He ultimately rose to the rank of chief attorney of the office and served in that capacity for three years. Adachi has tried over 100 jury trials and handled 3,000 criminal matters during his career.

In 2001, Kimiko Burton-Cruz, the daughter of then State Senator John Burton was appointed Public Defender by Mayor Willie Brown. After taking office, Burton-Cruz forced Adachi out on her first day on the job, apparently for political reasons. The following year, Adachi ran against Burton-Cruz for her position and defeated her by a 55%-45% margin. Since then Adachi has been re-elected twice, both times running unopposed.

Adachi is the only elected Public Defender in the state of California and runs an office of nearly 100 attorneys and 60 staff members, which has a $24 million budget. According to estimates, the office represents over 23,000 people each year who are charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses. The office is known for several innovative criminal justice programs, including Drug Court, Clean Slate expungement services, and a full-service juvenile division.

Adachi was featured in the 2002 PBS documentary Presumed Guilty, a film about the San Francisco Public Defender's office, its difficult cases and complex defense strategies.