State v. Baker

Joseph E. Taylor is a former prosecuting attorney and a public defender who has taught Trial Advocacy for more than twenty years. For ten years, he served as the director of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law Advocacy Program. He presently serves as senior advisor to the newly created Focused Decisions Program, which provides facilities and expertise for trial attorneys to pre-try jury trials before a live jury in preparation for their real jury trial. He has participated in approximately 150 felony jury trials, having served as the public defender for Riverside County (managing a nine-office organization with seventy-six attorneys), eight years as an assistant chief deputy for the Sacramento County District Attorney's office, and a senior attorney with the Ventura County District Attorney's office where he supervised three units, including the major crimes unit. He has occasionally prosecuted or defended pro bono in his spare time.

Professor Taylor has authored or co-authored twelve trial practice cases and has excelled both in the courtroom and classroom. He was named both Professor of the Year (Pacific McGeorge School of Law, 2004) and Prosecutor of the Year (State of California, 1982-1983). He served as judge pro tem in Sacramento Superior Court for fourteen years, and as a member of the California Parole Advocacy Program Advisory Committee and the City of Davis Police Department Advisory Committee.