Call Me Gary
I’m Gary McCurdy. As of the end of day January 15, 2026, my tenure of 37+ years at the Central California Appellate Program came to an end with my retirement. The office held a lovely send-off luncheon for me and wished me well in my next phase. Moving forward, I continue to read and summarize California appellate opinions with the same rigor I brought to all my years of practice. My focus is on making that work available to criminal defense attorneys who are fighting for their clients every day.
Background
The Early Years
After graduating from what is now known as UC Law SF, I worked for nearly three years as an associate with law firm of the late Justice Frances Newell Carr (until a few months before she was appointed to the superior court bench and the firm broke up). While the partners represented the big buck cases, any with sidecar criminal case matters (friends, relatives, selves) were passed over to me to handle, along with smaller civil matters.
County Public Defender
11 Years
In 1975, I joined a county public defender department (as deputy, supervising deputy, chief assistant, and two roughly half-year stints as Acting Public Defender and Interim Public Defender).
State Public Defender
2 Years
In 1986, I was hired by the Office of the State Public Defender, where I received extensive formal training in appellate practice, and for a short time was the acting head of its Sacramento office.
Appellate Project
37 Years
In 1988 I was offered a job with one of the appellate projects (see rule 8.300(e)), where I worked for more than 37 years, retiring in 2026 after nearly 29 years as Assistant Director.
70+ Published Articles
Since 1993, I have written more than six dozen articles in CACJ’s (California Attorneys for Criminal Justice) Forum magazine.
Certified Criminal Law Specialist
I have been certified since 1981 by the California State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in criminal law.
Maybe I Can Help
If you are a California attorney eligible to practice in California, and you would like some guidance on handling a state felony appeal, I may be able to guide you, just as I guided many attorneys during my tenure with the appellate project.
See My Services