Trisha Luciano earned her J.D. from New College of California in San Francisco. In law school, Trisha worked at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, San Francisco Public Defender, and Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office. In collaboration with the University of San Francisco, she taught Street Law, a curriculum-based program designed to advance justice by empowering youth with civic knowledge and legal tools, to Oakland high school students.
In 2008, Trisha worked at the Mental Health Advocacy Project, a Santa Clara County legal aid organization, where she represented patients on civil commitment holds under Welfare and Institutions Code section 5250. She investigated allegations of abuse and neglect, monitored facilities for compliance with laws and regulations, and represented mental health consumers in administrative hearings. Trisha led mandatory 5150 trainings for Santa Clara County behavioral health providers and assisted Kaiser Santa Clara in developing patients’ rights policies for its inpatient unit.
In 2011, Trisha started her criminal defense practice as a Deputy Public Defender in Riverside County. There, she represented indigent adult and juvenile clients in misdemeanor and felony criminal proceedings. Trisha acquired strong trial advocacy skills, leading to dismissals and acquittals in cases of domestic violence, driving under the influence, sexual assault and battery, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, and other serious criminal offenses. She worked in a collaborative court program aimed at providing wrap-around services and support to system-involved people working toward sobriety. Trisha successfully spearheaded efforts to accept previously excluded groups into the program like those with prior strike convictions or on parole.
When Proposition 47 passed in 2014, incarcerated individuals convicted of non-violent property offenses and simple drug possession sought to reduce their felony convictions to misdemeanors. Trisha represented people seeking this type of relief in contested hearings. Her advocacy led to the release of dozens of California prisoners, many of whom had been adversely impacted by laws that disproportionately affected marginalized communities.
Trisha has extensive experience working with clients with mental health disorders, and is extremely knowledgeable of psychiatric diagnoses, psychotropic medication and laws surrounding seclusion and restraint.
In 2015, Trisha focused her practice on juvenile law, representing children in juvenile delinquency proceedings and education-related hearings at the Yolo County Public Defender. She achieved dismissals, not-true findings, and helped minors avoid transfer to adult court. Trisha established a know-your-rights clinic in the juvenile hall. She taught classes on basic legal concepts and strategies to reduce risks during police encounters, and invited community leaders to speak to incarcerated youth. Trisha litigated policy issues that affected her clients—eliminating the shackling of minors in court and widening the scope of eligibility for juvenile record sealing.
Since joining Nolan Barton Olmos & Luciano in 2017, Trisha has cultivated a dedicated practice representing individuals facing criminal prosecution in juvenile and adult courts. She specializes in juvenile delinquency, mental health and addiction, adult misdemeanor and felony matters, and post-conviction relief for non-citizens. Drawing on her experience as a former public defender and patients’ rights attorney, Trisha seeks to identify and address the factors that led to her clients’ contact with the criminal justice system. She collaborates with teams of experts of psychiatrists and other mental health and substance abuse clinicians to tenaciously advocate for her clients in and out of the courtroom.
Trisha is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Criminal Defense College, California Public Defenders Association, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and Pacific Juvenile Defender Center.
