Heather Rogers will start in October as Santa Cruz County’s first Public Defender, taking a role that since 1975 was filled by the law firm of Biggam, Christensen and Minsloff.
New County Public Defender Heather Rogers (right) with County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios
Rogers has nearly two decades of experience as a defense attorney, including nearly a decade as a staff attorney with Biggam, Christensen and Minsloff, where she is a supervising attorney.
Rogers has experience with high-profile felony cases, and working with justice-involved youth and immigrants.
“Ms. Rogers is the right choice to lead our community’s first-ever Office of the Public Defender,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Bruce McPherson said Sept. 14 when her selection was announced.
“We are confident that she will provide excellent, client-centered services for our indigent defendants, promote equity and inclusion as she develops the office, and continue working closely with the court and the community to assure that public defense services in Santa Cruz County are among the best in the state,” McPherson said.
”I’m honored to be chosen to lead this new agency,” Rogers said. “I look forward to putting together a team that provides courageous, compassionate, client-centered defense to reach the best outcomes for our clients in a manner that is consistent with our community’s values.”
In her remarks, she recalled defending a goat herder facing charges who was mainly concerned with his goats, whom he knew by name.
The lesson Roger learned is that these situations are not just cases, they are people, and that it’s importance to delve into the details to find the root causes.
In her LinkedIn profile, she has a statement:
“I am a public defender committed to providing each client with zealous, client-centered, holistic advocacy. I believe that aggressive courtroom advocacy is the foundation of excellent representation, but it is not enough. Clients are often as concerned with the collateral and incidental consequences of their contact with the criminal justice system, as they are with their case’s legal disposition. I take the time to get to know my clients, so that I can work with them to achieve the outcome that is best for them, whether that be pre-trial diversion, a therapeutic resolution, access to supportive services or a jury trial. I collaborate with county, court and community partners to support policies and programs that divert people out of the criminal justice system, address root causes, provide meaningful opportunities for rehabilitation and mitigate the consequences of system involvement.”
Rogers is a graduate of Stanford Law School who clerked on the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals with Judge M. Margaret McKeown. She serves on the board of the Santa Cruz County Defense Bar and the Santa Cruz County Trial Lawyers Association, and represents District 2 on the Santa Cruz County Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commission.
After 45 years of the law firm of Biggam, Christensen and Minsloff providing indigent defense services in Santa Cruz County, county officials sought an assessment and analysis of alternatives, resulting in the Board’s decision to establish the Office of the Public Defender.