A New Movement to Transform America's Public Defense System Takes Center Stage in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer Tim Breitbach of Optimal Entertainment brought together leading voices in public defense and criminal justice reform in San Francisco on July 19 as part of the development of his forthcoming documentary, Lawyer Hanlon: Passing the Torch of Justice, which chronicles the growing movement to transform America's overburdened public defense system.

“When we started filming, it felt like a critical moment in time,” said Breitbach. “Since then, the effort to implement reliable public defender workload standards has become one of the most promising civil rights movements of the 21st century, fought on behalf of the most marginalized people in our society. Steve Hanlon helped blaze a trail, and now he is passing the torch to the next generation of true warriors for justice. We’re not just telling the story; we are embedded in the front lines.”

The invitation-only, salon-style event in San Francisco was co-hosted by former educational and organizational director Charlotte Burchard and public relations executive Gina Relva. Featured speakers included Stephen Hanlon, San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, and Malia Brink, policy director of the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center at SMU Dedman School of Law. Among the attendees were Pattie Lee, assistant chief of Defend + Advocate at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office; Martha Goldin, retired judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court; Roberto Evangelista, lead of the San Francisco Mental Health Unit at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, and others.

The discussion examined the growing movement to strengthen public defense and advance reform in criminal legal systems through the adoption and enforcement of the 2023 National Public Defense Workload Standards. Developed through years of empirical research, the standards establish evidence-based attorney workload guidelines designed to help ensure people charged with crime receive the effective legal representation guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment.

“For more than 50 years, the entire legal profession relied on completely indefensible public defense workload standards that made effective representation virtually impossible in almost every criminal courtroom in the nation,” said Hanlon. “Today, we have evidence-based standards that are helping courts understand what the Constitution requires of lawyers who represent poor people charged with crimes. Meaningful victories took place in states like Missouri, Iowa, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington, where courts recognized that excessive public defender workloads undermine defendants' constitutional rights. This documentary tells the story of a movement that has the opportunity to transform our criminal processing system into a criminal justice system we can all be proud of.”

Lawyer Hanlon: Passing the Torch of Justice chronicles Hanlon's nearly four decades of work to advance public defense reform and help replace outdated caseload standards with evidence-based workload standards. Through interviews, archival footage, and conversations with judges, public defenders, policymakers, legal scholars, and advocates, the documentary explores the constitutional right of people who cannot afford a lawyer to effective legal representation.

Raju described how his office in San Francisco has applied the standards and the broader implications for public defense systems nationwide. Raju has recently been held in contempt of court for his efforts to ensure adequate representation for his clients. That order is now on appeal.

According to the City and County of San Francisco's Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Adopted Budget, the city allocated approximately $820 million to the Police Department, $106 million to the District Attorney's Office, and $62 million to the Public Defender's Office, underscoring the funding disparities among the three agencies.

“Mano being held in contempt for doing something that attorneys have an ethical obligation to do illustrates why the issue - and film - are so important,” said Brink. “When attorneys are sanctioned for carrying out one of the core responsibilities of the profession, it exposes deeper problems within our criminal legal system. The 2023 National Public Defense Workload Standards provide courts and policymakers with the evidence needed to ensure public defenders have the time and resources necessary to provide effective representation and, in turn, ensure that our adversarial system of justice functions as intended.”

Brink discussed ongoing efforts to implement the workload standards and described the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center's work to support their implementation nationwide. Both Brink and Raju participated in the discussion in their personal capacities, and their titles are used for identification purposes only.

As Lawyer Hanlon: Passing the Torch of Justice moves into its next phase of production, supporters are invited to help bring this story to audiences nationwide. Tax-deductible contributions through St. Louis Filmworks, the documentary's nonprofit fiscal sponsor, will support completion of the film, including production, post-production, educational outreach, and public engagement. Contributions can be made at https://secure.givelively.org/donate/st-louis-filmworks/lawyer-hanlon-the-fight-never-ends.

About Tim Breitbach

Tim Breitbach is the founder and president of Optimal Entertainment, a production company specializing in documentary, television, and narrative storytelling. An award-winning filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter, Breitbach has created projects for Discovery Channel, Esquire Network, OWN, Syfy, and other national and regional platforms. He is the recipient of five regional Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and a Sundance Film Festival Screenwriting Award for his film Dopamine. His latest documentary, the multiple audience award-winning The Final 19, profiled the story of POW Dan Hefel, who spent 1,143 days in captivity. It was a challenging story laced with hope and horror. No stranger to difficult subjects, Breitbach has now brought together leading voices in public defense and criminal justice reform in San Francisco on July 19 as part of the development of his forthcoming documentary, Lawyer Hanlon: Passing the Torch of Justice. Learn more at www.optimal-ent.com.

About Stephen Hanlon:

Stephen F. Hanlon is a nationally recognized public interest and civil rights attorney who has devoted much of his career to advancing equal justice and strengthening public defense systems. He founded the Community Services Team at Holland & Knight, where he built the nation's largest full-time private practice pro bono department. Since retiring from the firm in 2012, he has focused exclusively on helping public defenders address excessive workloads and improve indigent defense systems. Hanlon led multiple statewide public defense workload studies and assembled the team of experts from RAND, the American Bar Association, and the National Center for State Courts that developed the National Public Defense Workload Standards, released in 2023. He previously served as General Counsel for the National Association for Public Defense. For more information, visit: lawyerhanlon.com.

About Lawyer Hanlon: Passing the Torch of Justice

Lawyer Hanlon: Passing the Torch of Justice is a documentary currently in development examining America's public defense system through the work of civil rights attorney and public defense reform advocate Stephen Hanlon, one of the nation's leading voices for indigent defense reform. The film chronicles Hanlon's four decades' fight to reform public defense systems and help ensure all citizens receive effective legal representation guaranteed under the Constitution. The film examines the challenges facing indigent defense systems and the ongoing effort to ensure meaningful legal representation for all Americans, regardless of economic circumstances.

About St. Louis Filmworks

St. Louis Filmworks, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 37-1977670), is a film/TV advocacy organization focused on attracting and developing new and emerging filmmakers to and from St. Louis through education, grants and fiscal sponsorship. St. Louis Filmmorks is serving as the fiscal sponsor for Lawyer Hanlon: Passing the Torch of Justice. Tax-deductible contributions made through St. Louis Filmworks, to the extent permitted by law, support the documentary's research, development, production, educational outreach, and public engagement efforts.