Jonathan Laba has been with the Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office since 1996 and has handled all types of cases, including capital cases. Since 2012, he has supervised a variety of different units in the Public Defender’s Office, including felony and misdemeanor trial teams, mental health, post-conviction, and writs and appeals. Since 2020, Jonathan has supervised the office’s youth defense team.
Jonathan serves as a board member and as co-chair of the Legislative Committee for the California Youth Defender Center, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring excellence in youth defense throughout California. He has co-led multiple youth justice legislative reform efforts since 2021, including reforms of California’s transfer, electronic monitoring, dismissal, informal probation, and record sealing statutes. Jonathan has served as an appointed member of the Judicial Council’s Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee since 2021. Since 2006, Jonathan has co-authored the chapter on juvenile delinquency in California Criminal Law: Procedure and Practice, published annually by the Continuing Education of the Bar. Jonathan regularly organizes and presents at conferences for youth defenders.
Jonathan has been an adjunct faculty member at Berkeley Law since 2011. He formerly taught the Criminal Law Ethics Seminar. Since 2022, he has served as co-instructor for Youth Justice Law, Practice and Policy.
Education
B.A., University of Virginia (1989)
J.D., UC Berkeley School of Law (1996)
Jonathan Laba is not teaching any Law courses in Spring 2026.
Courses During Other Semesters
| Semester | Course Num | Course Title |  Teaching Evaluations | Fall 2026 | 235.32 sec. 001 | Youth Justice Law, Practice and Policy | Fall 2025 | 235.32 sec. 001 | Youth Justice Law, Practice and Policy | View Teaching Evaluation |
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