Director of Public Defense Services
Lori began her career with the Pima County Public Defenders Office in 1987 as a felony trial attorney, and later concentrated on post-conviction litigation in the appeals division. She rejoined the trial unit as a team leader in 2005 until her appointment to Chief Assistant in 2008. A 1985 graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, Ms. Lefferts was a member of Law Review, and authored The NFL Players Association's Certification Plan: Is it Exempt From Antitrust Review? 26 Arizona Law Review 699 (1984). She is a frequent speaker on the Fourth Amendment, and was counsel of record on reported cases in the area, including State v. Gonzalez-Gutierrez, 187 Ariz. 116, 927 P.2d 776 (1996), State v. Stricklin, 191 Ariz. 245, 955 P.2d 1 (App.1996), and State v. Bentlage, 192 Ariz. 117, 961 P.2d 1065 (App.1998). Ms. Lefferts was the 2008 recipient of the Tom Karas Indigent Defense Award presented by the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice.