The Pima County Public Defender's Office employs discreet teams of Spanish speaking lawyers that handle office felony cases with Spanish speaking clients as part of their team mission. This enables cases to be reviewed by more senior attorneys in the group and provides an opportunity for less experienced lawyers to be mentored by those with substantial experience.

Spanish Felony Trial Team Attorneys

Becky McLean
Team Leader

Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, with Distinction, 1981; Law Review (published 1980); admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 1981; Attorney in a private Arizona law firm, 1981-83; substantial and extensive experience as a Felony Trial and Appellate Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 1983.

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Margo Cowan

Graduate of the Antioch School of Law, Washington, D.C., 1985; admitted to the State Bar of Pennsylvania in 1986; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 1995; substantial experience as an attorney in general immigration practice since 1986; General Counsel, Tohono O'Odham Nation 1993-2003; Of Counsel, Congressman Raul Grijalva, 2004; extensive pro bono work, mainly in the areas of border/immigration policy development and representation of undocumented persons and refugees; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2004. In March 2007, the National Association for Social Workers- AZ Branch II awarded Margo with the Cesar Chavez Hummanitarian Award for her dedication in advancing human rights for over thirty-five years. An example of this dedication is her co-founding of the group No More Deaths. This group provides assistance to migrants returning from the U.S. to the border towns of Mexico, and their sole puprose is to reduce the amount of deaths in the Arizona Desert.

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Walter Goncalves Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, 2004; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, 2005; practical experience as a Law Clerk, Civil Division, Pima County Attorney, 2003-05; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2005.

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Ryan Moore Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, 2004; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 2004; Attorney Advisor, U.S. Immigration Courts in Arizona, 2004-05; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2005.

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Jay Sagar Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, 2005; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 2005; practical experience in the UA Immigration Law Clinic; Law Clerk, Asylum Program of Southern Arizona; Law Clerk, Federal Trade Commission, Washington D.C.; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2005.

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John Sando Graduate of William and Mary School of Law, 1973; admitted to the State Bar of Virginia in 1973; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, the United States District Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1974; attorney in private practice 1976-80, and solo practitioner 1980-2004; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2006.

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Jamiel Allen Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, 2005; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, 2006; practical experience under Rule 38(e) in the University of Arizona Law College Criminal Defense Clinic, and as a Law Clerk, Pima County Public Defender ; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2006.

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Matei Tarail Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, 2005; Peace Corps Volunteer, Dominican Republic, 1996 – 1998; 2003 – 2005 member of the Student Advisory Board of the UA Law Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Program; Law Clerk, Tucson Police Department Legal Advisor, 2004; Intern and Law Clerk, Pima County Public Defender, 2004 – 2006; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, 2006.

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Tamara Mulembo Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law in 2005. Admitted to the State Bars of Arizona and California in 2006. Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Philip G. Espinosa, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division Two. Judicial Extern to the Honorable Clark Munger, Pima County Superior Court. Practical experience under Rule 38(e) in the University of Arizona Law College Prosecution Clinic and as a Law Clerk for the Pima County Attorney’s Office and United States Attorney’s Office. Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2006.

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Laura Conover Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, 2005; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 2005; practical experience as a Legal Intern in asylum cases, and as a Law Clerk for the Pima County Public Defender; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2005.

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Antonio Zapata

Graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law in 2004; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona and the United States District Court in 2004; practiced as a Spanish certified trial attorney in the Public Defenders Office for the City of Tucson from 2004-2007; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2007.

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Joel Feinman

Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, 2007; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, 2007; Judicial Extern to the Honorable Ted B. Borek, Pima County Superior Court, 2005; practical experience as a Law Clerk, Pima County Public Defender, 2006-2007; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2007.

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Louis Fidel Graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, 2007; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, 2007; practical experience in the UA Immigration Law Clinic, 2007, and as a law clerk with the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender, 2007-2008; Defense Attorney in the Law Offices of the Pima County Public Defender since 2008.