2021 SDCBA Service Award Recipients
Name and title: Matthew Wechter, Deputy Public Defender
Undergraduate and law school: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Chapman Law School
Years in practice: 11 years
Why do you serve?
Being a public defender is my job and I love it. Working to help others and, at the same time, finding ways to accomplish better results through collaboration is what gets me up in the morning.
What/Who inspires you to serve?
My Homeless Court and Youthful Offender clients who have turned their lives around. You are more than your worst moment in time, and these clients embody that principle.
What advice would you give others to inspire them to serve?
You are never too busy for the things you want to do. Lean into your strengths — working to better your community with your time and effort is the best kind of investment money can’t buy.
What is one item on your bucket list?
Ocean sail for a few months. No phone, no internet. Just open water and a breeze.
What is your favorite quote?
“Never underestimate the power of a small group of people committed to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Favorite place on earth?
The beach and clear bay waters outside the Soggy Dollar Bar, British Virgin Islands. Specifically (18.44296, -64.76391).
Favorite place in San Diego?
The view from my car, windows down with the music playing.
Cherished advice that you have received from a loved-one, mentor or colleague?
Trust is something hard earned and easily lost. Your character and integrity are everything — protect them at all costs.
How can others make giving back part of their daily lives?
The best way to incorporate something into your life is to be passionate about the actions you take. For every passion that exists, you can find a way to share and give back that passion with someone who needs it in their life.
In what ways does serving the wider community benefit the legal profession?
In spite of the overabundance of lawyer jokes, attorneys serve their community through their clients every day; but many seldom see how that work benefits the broader community. Serving the larger community in a positive way allows us to confound those expectations — turn those lawyer jokes on their heads!
The SDCBA Law Day theme this year is “Advancing the Rule of Law Now.” What does this theme mean to you in your work and in your daily life?
There’s been no shortage of change this year in adjusting to the “new-normal.” For me, this manifests in how we bring technology to the legal profession in a way that allows us to better serve our clients and the community as a whole.
As a recipient of a 2020 Service Award, who would you like to thank?
Dave Grapilon, Cathy McCoy, and Michelle Johnson for hearing out my crazy ideas every week; Randy Mize, Kate Braner, Angie Bartosik, Julie Gibson, Tai Nguyen, Dave Greenberg, Brent Neck, Tracy Prior, and Judge Eyherabide for trusting me; Solomon Chang and Zafir Huq for the Herculean task of making attorney-client communication possible for an entire office full of hard working attorneys doing their best for their clients, Patty and our entire PD clerical staff for putting in the tough and sometimes late hours, Jake and Dennis from Court IT and Yosh from Sheriff IT coming together to spin up a remarkable amount of technology in record time, and so many others. This year wasn’t perfect by any means, but everyone put in so much effort accomplished a lot to keep the wheels turning.