The Greek sage Aesop once opined, "Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either."
For the past seven years, Eric Dumars has built a career in the Merced County public defender's office, carefully scrutinizing the flip side of every file that lands on his desk. Whether his client is accused of misdemeanor DUI or felony murder, Dumars always keeps an open mind, never makes assumptions -- and remembers that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
"And it's very important that someone in that situation has someone to look out for mistakes (in law enforcement)," Dumars said. "There's lots of cases where innocent people, or people who have not done a crime, are convicted of that crime."
It's a work ethic the 39-year-old Mercedian said he'll continue to embrace, as he takes on one of the most important leadership roles in the local court system. Dumars was recently promoted as Merced County's interim public defender, following the retirement of Michael Pro from the position in late December.
After a selection process and interview, Dumars, who is fluent in Spanish, was appointed to the position by Merced County Chief Executive Officer Jim Brown, and the Board of Supervisors confirmed the choice.
Dumars, who has served in 21 trials during his career, leads an office of 14 attorneys, representing clients who don't have the financial ability to afford their own attorney. And the workload for the job isn't easy. Each of the felony attorneys in the public defender's office handles an average of 180 cases a year, while misdemeanor attorneys handle triple that amount.
Public perception
Perhaps the toughest part of the job, however, is defending people accused of horrendous crimes, such as murder and rape. Dumars is keenly aware of the perception much of the public has of criminal defense attorneys -- that they defend bad people. Dumars said that perception and public opinion don't sway him from providing the best defense for every client, regardless of the crime. "Everyone has the right to counsel," Dumars said. "It separates us from (places like) Saudi Arabia and China -- that we have due process."
Dumars also said he "works really hard not to judge people."
Regardless of the long hours and stress that come with the public defender's job, Dumars said he's driven by the fact that many of the people he represents come from dire, difficult socio-economic circumstances.
Then again, helping people in tough circumstances isn't new to Dumars. After his undergraduate years at UC Santa Cruz, he served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras, working in the town of Guarita, which is near the border of El Salvador. There, he built and maintained clean water and sanitation systems. He also taught basketball to schoolchildren (and used to be able to slam dunk).
After graduating from University of Denver College of Law, he worked for five years as an pro bono immigration attorney for the San Francisco Committee for Civil Rights, representing applicants for asylum from Nepal and Guatemala.
Not first choice
Dumars said he actually didn't plan on becoming a public defender, but went to law school after college because he scored exceptionally well on an entrance exam and was awarded a scholarship. "I thought about the Foreign Service, but to tell you the truth I didn't know what I was going to do," he said.
However, he wanted to work in a profession that reflected his empathy for people. And working in the Merced County Public Defender's office ended up being the right fit. "I can work for people who aren't at the top of the social structure, rather they are at the bottom," Dumars said. "I've developed an ethic and a calling to serve underserved people."
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