She has been a Deputy Public Defender with the San Diego County Public Defender’s office since its inception in 1988. She has done all types of criminal cases varying from death penalty defense to collaborative treatment court to an acquittal in the longest criminal trial in the history of San Diego County, the Akiki case in 1993. She has been honored for her work as a defense attorney by receiving awards including the Public Defender of the Year, Trial Lawyer of the Year, and being named one of the Best 20 Lawyers under 40 years old in California by the Los Angeles Daily Transcript. She is currently assigned to probation and Reentry court calendars.