Life can often leave us feeling bitter, disillusioned or with a sense of hopelessness.

There are many inequities.

Yet there is a symbol of justice that sits on the top of buildings in many parts of the world, reminding us that sometimes there is a solution, a hope, a remedy, a restitution or an opportunity to right a wrong.

I first began to appreciate the importance of pursuing justice when as a third year law student at Leeds University in UK I studied the emergence of legal aid centers in 1973. Low income families finally had the opportunity to obtain the assistance of a  lawyer at no cost in order to address an injustice.

Then after graduating from law school I spent two years in a small village in Kenya as a volunteer teacher. That experience taught me so much about respect for elders.

Returning to the UK I eventually qualified as a solicitor and for the next 12 years worked to help clients deal with various setbacks and adversity. 

In 1991 my wife and I relocated to my wife’s home town of San Diego, California where I was able to pass the California Bar at the first attempt. In 1993 I joined the San Diego District Attorney’s office as a deputy district attorney. That became my work place for the next 25 years.

Every day I would walk into a building called appropriately the Hall of Justice. It reminded me of my solemn duty as a prosecutor to always seek justice, no matter where that would take me. For example, I dismissed a murder case filed against a defendant because I believed that the evidence did not support such a prosecution.

In January 1996 I was asked to form a new unit that would focus on attempting to obtain justice for older victims and for victims with mental or physical disabilities. That became my assignment for the next 22 years.

As head of the unit I was involved in the review and prosecution of literally hundreds of criminal cases that included homicides, sexual assaults, serious physical assaults, caregiver neglect, false imprisonments, abductions, emotional abuse and financial exploitation. Many of these cases required testimony at preliminary hearings and several ended up with jury trials or occasionally with bench trials.

In March 2018 I decided it was the right time to “retire” from the office at age 66 and begin a second career as a trainer and consultant.

And just this year of 2021 I fulfilled a desire to form my own law firm.

Greenwood Law Corp has a two pronged mission:

• To provide trainings for professional agencies such as Adult Protective Services, law enforcement, prosecutors, long term care ombudsman programs, and retiree organizations.

• To offer consulting and expert witness services to other attorneys who may be involved in litigation on behalf of victims of either elder or dependent adult abuse, neglect or exploitation.