About Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn McCarthy is a public defender based in San Diego who has spent her legal career working in criminal defense and prisoner advocacy. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice at Temple University in 2011 and earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2014. Those academic years included hands-on clinical work that shaped her early approach to defense work.
While still in law school, McCarthy served as a student lawyer in the Criminal Defense and Prisoner Advocacy Clinic in 2013. That clinic placement put her in direct contact with clients and the courtroom environment. After graduating in 2014 she joined the County of San Diego Public Defender’s office as a deputy public defender. There she has worked on behalf of indigent clients, handling a range of matters in California state court.
McCarthy has balanced agency work with teaching. In 2020 she served as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. The following year she taught in the paralegal program at San Diego Miramar College as an adjunct. Students who worked with her encountered someone who could explain courtroom procedures and case preparation in clear, practical terms.
Her background combines public defense, clinical experience and classroom instruction. In practice she attends hearings, conducts investigations and advises clients through the stages of criminal cases. Colleagues describe her as steady under pressure and attentive to the practical needs of clients. She has remained in public service since joining the public defender’s office, taking on the day-to-day responsibilities of case management and client advocacy.
McCarthy is licensed to practice in California and maintains her career in the San Diego County Public Defender’s office. She continues to work on criminal defense and prisoner advocacy matters in California courts. Her current practice focuses on criminal defense in California.
