For those of you who are not familiar with Mr. Gessler, he is the cornerstone of capital defense practice. Known as "the dean of the capital case" in California, Charles Gessler has dedicated his professional career to legal advocacy on behalf of people accused of crimes.
Mr. Gessler was drawn to criminal defense work because of his belief that the defense attorney is the true bulwark of freedom of every citizen. He has an extraordinarily successful track record. Of the more than 60 murder cases he has tried, 15 were capital cases, and none of his clients are on death row. His clients have included some high-profile defendants –Vaughn C. Greenwood, the so-called "Skid Row Slasher", Sam Nam Chinh, charged in a highly publicized 1984 Chinatown murder-robbery case and convicted of killing a police officer; and Lyle Menendez in his second trial for the shotgun killing of his parents. He is a champion of the belief that criminal defense attorneys represent whole people, not just cases.
His contribution literally has saved lives, raised spirits and inspired a new generation of lawyers. He remains the dean of capital case lawyers in California.
