Joshua R. Saunders
Josh Saunders has been defending the accused since 2006. After a decade of handling serious felony cases in New York City, he worked as a public defender in both King and Snohomish counties and then joined the Marshall Defense Firm. He has handled over five thousand criminal cases and has won acquittals for clients charged with manslaughter, domestic violence assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, child molestation, and other offenses. He has been a supervisor and has trained other lawyers in trial work for nearly half of his career.
Josh graduated from New York University School of Law, where he served on the Review of Law and Social Change and participated in two criminal defense clinics. He is also a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College.
Before law school, Josh earned a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Texas, where he graduated summa cum laude and a B.A. with honors from Macalester College in Minnesota. He also worked as a journalist.
During his time as a public defender in Brooklyn, Josh founded the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to paying bail for low-income defendants charged with misdemeanors. The fund quickly grew to become the largest of its kind in the U.S. and played a central role in advocating for changes to the nation's unjust bail practices. His commitment to reform has led him to appear on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and testify before the House Public Safety Committee in Washington State.
Josh knows the power of an accusation to ruin a person’s life. That knowledge, deep in his bones, is what drives him to counter the power of the government. He puts communication with his clients at the forefront of his representation. He uses his array of skills and experiences to achieve the best possible resolution for each client.
Watch the segment featuring Josh's advocacy on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver below, starting at 3 minutes 10 seconds:
Bar Admissions
- Washington State
- United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
Education
- Bronx Defenders Trial College
- National Criminal Defense College
- New York University School of Law, New York, New York
- University of Texas, Austin, Texas
- Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota
Professional Affiliations / Presentations
- Board of Governors Member, Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2024-Present)
- Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2021 - Present)
- Member, Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2021 - Present)
- 2024: Child Abuse Allegations Conference - "The Sexsomnia Defense: Law, Medicine, and Strategy"
- “Modernizing Legal Writing” Co-chair. Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2022
- “Changes to Civil Protection Orders for Criminal Practitioners.” Washington State Bar Association Criminal Justice Institute, October 7, 2021
- “Guns, Sex, and Electronic Service: Changes to Civil Protection Orders in HB 1320” Domestic Relations Attorneys of Washington Annual Conference, September 19, 2021
- Member of the Washington State Bar, former member of the New York State Bar
- Former board member of the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund
- Former board member of the Northwest Community Bail Fund
- Faculty, Litigation Academy 2017 and 2018, Department of Public Defense, Seattle WA (“Storytelling for Lawyers,” “Opening Statements,” and small group leadership)
- Testified before the House Public Safety Committee of the Washington State Legislature on bail reform and charitable bail bonds
- Former Board member of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Former Member of the transition team for Kings County District Attorney Kenneth Thompson (as the only practicing public defender)
- Former member, Criminal Justice Operations Committee of the New York City Bar
- Graduate of the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, GA
- Regular guest lecturer, Community Defender Clinic, NYU School of Law
- Guest lecturer, Lawyering class, NYU School of Law
- Panelist, “Why New York? Our Broken Bail System,” Brooklyn Historical Society