Wells, Kim Edwin

After graduation from UCLA, Mr. Weiss attended the University of Minnesota Law School. In his final year of law school he represented several persons charged with misdemeanors and from that experience developed a life-long commitment to criminal defense.

Mr. Weiss started his career as a trial lawyer in the Humboldt County Public Defenders Office, and quickly became a mainstay of the office. During his four years there, he tried many serious cases, including homicide, as well as numerous misdemeanors. After a brief stint in a general private practice and a move to Sonoma County, Mr. Weiss returned to the full time practice of criminal defense at the Sonoma County Public Defenders Office, devoting most of his time to the representation of persons charged with very serious crimes, including many homicides and 3 death penalty cases. Mr. Weiss has tried well in excess of 100 felony jury trials with a remarkable success rate near 70 percent. Successful trials include: homicides, assaults, kidnaps, multiple victim rape and child molest cases and other sexual assaults, attempted murders, robberies, drug cases, burglaries, domestic violence cases, and three strikes cases. Mr. Weiss has also successfully presented mental defenses and has successfully tried restoration of sanity, sexually violent predator and other mental health cases.

Mr. Weiss left his position as Chief Deputy and supervisor of all serious felonies at the Sonoma County Public Defenders Office in 2009 and received a Special Recognition Award from the California Public Defenders Association honoring, "a career defined by determined advocacy in extremely difficult cases and ... amazing courtroom results."