Menendez Lawyer Will Be Honored
A renowned public defender, whose efforts in a Van Nuys courtroom earlier this year helped spare the life of convicted murderer Lyle Menendez, has earned a prestigious annual award from the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice.
Charles Gessler, former head deputy in the Los Angeles public defender’s office, will receive the Significant Contributions to Criminal Justice Award at a luncheon today in San Francisco.
“He is a kind and gentle human being who is a fierce advocate,” said Marcia Morrissey, president-elect of the CACJ. “Through it all, he has managed to avoid entirely any burnout or cynicism about the work.”
Now semiretired, Gessler has been with the public defender’s office for 32 years, handling 62 murder cases--12 of them capital punishment cases--without a single client ending up on Death Row.
Founded in 1973, the CACJ is a nonprofit group of more than 2,100 public and private criminal defense attorneys.
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