About Ms. Casas

Ms. Casas is the child of Mexican immigrant parents and was born and raised in Woodland, California. Ms. Casas is fluent in both Spanish and English and is fully immersed in both Mexican and American culture. A Woodland native, Ms. Casas graduated from Woodland High School in 1996. She began attending the University of California, Davis that same year majoring in History and Spanish. During her time at UC Davis, Ms. Casas studied abroad at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City (UNAM) where she studied History, Spanish, and Law. Ms. Casas also spent time in Washington D.C. interning at the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission. In 2000, Ms. Casas graduated from UC Davis with Honors with a Bachelor's Degree in History and minor in Spanish. After graduating college, she worked as a community worker for a rural based non-profit organization in Yolo County, helping disenfranchised community members find employment opportunities.   
In 2001, Ms. Casas was accepted at the prestigious University of California, Davis School of Law King Hall. During law school, Ms. Casas interned at the Yolo County Public Defender's Office where her background as a child of immigrants and her bilingual and bicultural skills perfectly meshed with her desire to help those accused of crimes. In law school, Ms. Casas participated in the immigration clinic, where she successfully worked on cancellation of removal cases and assisted immigrant detainees facing prolonged detention.  
After graduating and passing the bar in 2004, Ms. Casas began her criminal defense career at the Kern County Public Defender's Office. As a deputy public defender in Kern County, she began in the misdemeanor unit before quickly progressing into a felony caseload, where she developed a keen understanding of felony sentencing and criminal procedures, handling cases under the three strikes law.  

In 2007, Ms. Casas joined the Solano County Public Defender's Office. She spent over a decade as an attorney in the Solano County Public Defender's office where she mastered every practice area of the office, from misdemeanors, juvenile delinquency and dependency, to general felony assignment including serious and violent crimes. Most recently, Ms. Casas was instrumental in creating a parole re-entry court, a program designed to assist parolees in decreasing recidivism.  

After more than a decade in Solano County, Ms. Casas has successfully and skillfully handled thousands of criminal cases, having taken dozens of cases to jury trial, represented clients in a variety of evidentiary hearings and researched and written countless motions.  

Ms. Casas has also developed skilled advocacy in appellate matters. Most recently, in 2017, Ms. Casas successfully argued at the California Court of Appeal where a unanimous decision vindicated the rights of her client. Her successful appellate work led to a published opinion that will protect the rights of thousands of criminal defendants in California.
Ms. Casas resides in Yolo County with her family. She is the current president of the La Raza Lawyer's Association of Solano County. She was previously president of the PTA. She remains active in her children's schools.