Silver, Elaine T.

A former prosecutor and public defender, Mr. Siddell has been practicing criminal law for more than 42 years. An expert in both criminal defense and immigration law, Mr. Siddell is a well-known attorney in San Diego, El Centro, and throughout Southern California.

Following graduation for the University of San Diego, School of Law, Mr. Siddell served two stints as a Senior Trial Attorney with the Public Defender Office in Imperial County. From 1975 to 1979 he also served as a Deputy District Attorney in Imperial County where he tried major criminal jury trials, and supervised the Family Support Division and the Juvenile Unit. Following his second term with the public defender, Mr. Siddell established a private practice representing individuals in serious criminal matters in San Diego, and throughout California, since 1983. Mr. Siddell has represented persons in New York, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, Nebraska, and several other locations in the U.S.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Siddell has established himself as an expert in Murder, Manslaughter, and Death Penalty cases, the most serious and difficult of all cases where the stakes are the highest. He has successfully handled 15 death penalty cases, a number few attorneys in California can claim. Not a single client was ever executed.

Known for his honesty and integrity in the legal community, Mr. Siddell intends to complete 50 years of practice. His wife of 32 years died of cancer in 2006, and he has no desire to retire. He has long been interested in education, and in 1993 he obtained a teaching degree in law known as a L.L.M.  Since 1983, he has mentored some 15 attorneys, most of whom come from minority backgrounds where English is a second language. These attorneys have become successful and have pledged to help other young attorneys. This is how Mr. Siddell repays the kindness of the attorneys who were his mentors.