Ms. Dodge joined the firm’s criminal defense team in 2004.  A former journalist, she uses the power of the pen to expose police error, highlight evidentiary weaknesses and convince the court to do what is fair and just for our clients.  She works closely with the firm’s trial attorneys to develop effective, aggressive defense strategies to leverage our position at every stage of the case. 

A person accused of a crime is faced with a hostile criminal justice system that is increasingly pro-prosecution.  From pretrial motions to post-conviction appeals, Ms. Dodge uses her thorough knowledge of the law and effective written argument to level the playing field. 

For many, the fight does not end after the case has resolved in court.  A significant portion of Ms. Dodge’s practice is devoted to helping people clean up their criminal records, which can have serious personal and professional repercussions.  By keeping abreast of this complex and evolving area of the law, she has helped many deserving clients move forward with a clean slate.

Background

Ms. Dodge graduated with honors from Hastings College of the Law, where she served on the Hastings Law Journal and won several writing awards. She spent a summer clerking for the Federal Public Defender in San Francisco and also served as an extern for Federal District Court Judge Charles R. Breyer.  Upon admittance to the California Bar in 2003, she practiced criminal defense for a small firm in Alameda County, where she represented clients in courtroom proceedings across the Bay Area. Prior to law school, Ms. Dodge worked as a journalist, most recently as a newswoman for the Associated Press.

Ms. Dodge is a member of the California State Bar Association, the Contra Costa County Bar Association, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and the California Public Defenders Association. She serves on the board of the Women’s Section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association and the Hastings Alumni Board of Governors.  She is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 

Ms. Dodge was named a Northern California “Rising Star” by Super Lawyer magazine in 2009.

Born and raised in Contra Costa County, she lives in Walnut Creek.