The Orange County Deputy Public Defender's Association (OCDPDA) was formed in 1991 as a non-profit organization with a mission to promote high quality indigent legal defense in Orange County. The OCDPDA actively promotes increased public awareness of criminal justice issues within Orange County, donates resources to causes which support fairness in the legal system and actively participates in providing continuing legal education for all members of the defense bar. Currently, OCDPDA enjoys a membership of over 185 attorneys drawn from the offices of the Public Defender, the Alternate Defender and the Associate Defender.

The Board of Directors of the OCDPDA is comprised of nine members who are elected by the membership and serve a two-year term. This year’s President is Julia Kelly.