Robert C. Boruchowitz, director of The Defender Association, King County's oldest public defender office, for nearly 28 years, has accepted a teaching position at Seattle University Law School starting in January. He will remain as director until January and then will serve as a consultant to the Association during transition.
"Bob Boruchowitz is recognized as a leader in public defense both in Washington and nationally," said Marilyn Young Skogland, president of The Defender Association's Board of Directors, who announced the move.
"The Defender Association is considered to be one of the strongest public defenders in the country due in large part to the leadership and unflagging standards of excellence that Bob has modeled throughout his tenure. He leaves a strong program with a dedicated and talented staff to carry on his legacy as he embarks on the next phase of his career."
"I am proud of the work that our staff does on behalf of our clients, and I have enjoyed the opportunity to help to provide the best possible representation and to work on improving the system of justice," Boruchowitz said.
Boruchowitz began as a staff attorney with the office in 1974 and worked in misdemeanors, juvenile, felonies and appeals before becoming director in 1978. He worked on a case that resulted in a finding that the City of Seattle's "prowling" ordinance was unconstitutional. As director, Borucho-witz was lead counsel in the first "sexually violent predator" case in King County and argued the constitutional challenge to the statute in the U.S. Supreme Court. In recent years, he has participated in an evaluation of the New Orleans public defender system, as well as evaluations of the Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. defender offices.
When he became director, the office had 50 lawyers. Today, the office represents clients in approximately 11,000 cases a year and has 79 attorneys. The office provides constitutionally required representation to adults and children in the full range of criminal cases, from shoplifting to murder, in civil commitment matters, and in dependency cases involving alleged abuse and neglect of children.
Under Boruchowitz's leadership, The Defender Association established an investigator intern program, which employs up to 30 interns who investigate more than 600 cases per year. He also expanded the legal intern program and established a professional social worker unit to assist in advocating for alternatives to incarceration.
The office worked with Columbia Legal Services to establish the award-winning TeamChild program that helps children with educational, mental health and housing needs. Boruchowitz also obtained federal and foundation funding to establish the Racial Disparity Project, which has worked to reduce the racially disparate impact of the laws regarding suspended drivers' licenses and drug law enforcement.
Boruchowitz received the NLADA's Reginald Heber Smith Award in 1987, the William O. Douglas Award from the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 1993 and the Washington Defender Association's Gideon Award in 2004. He also has received awards from the King County Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association. He serves on the executive committee of the American Council of Chief Defenders and the Washington State Bar Committee on Public Defense. In addition to teaching, Boruchowitz will continue the consulting work he has done for NLADA.
The Defender Association board will be reviewing candidates to succeed Boruchowitz in the coming months.
