Andrew Capone, Esq.

Staff Member

Andrew Capone, Esq.

Assistant Training Director for Western Pennsylvania

Andrew Capone serves as the Assistant Director of Training for the Western Half of Pennsylvania. He is dedicated to carrying the message of best practices in holistic indigent defense to all Public Defenders throughout the Commonwealth. Andrew’s commitment and focus on both equity and wellness in the profession manifest in his passion for holistic representation.

Prior to joining the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania, Andrew served as the Director of Attorney Recruiting and Retention at the Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender. In this position he created a national recruiting model that brought that office into the top tier of Public Defender’s offices nationally. The recruiting program is extremely competitive and receives hundreds of applications each year from students at the best and most diverse law schools in the country. This program “has been one of the most successful initiatives in the history of the Office of the Public Defender.” The success of that office has stemmed from this groundbreaking and revolutionary hiring program.

Before the creating the recruiting program, Andrew spent five years as Manager of the Trial Division. He is dedicated to a holistic model of indigent defense and is dedicated to service in the community. His mission is to make sure every attorney in Public Defense can provide their clients with skilled, aggressive, and passionate advocacy, preserving the rights guaranteed to all members of our community. In furtherance of his commitment to holistic indigent defense, Andrew created Project Rehabilitate to break the cycle of incarceration for patients at drug and alcohol treatment facilities.

Andrew joined the Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender in 2010. He has jury trial experience representing clients charged with nearly every type of criminal offense ranging from misdemeanor DUI and retail theft to kidnapping, rape, and murder. He is certified to represent clients facing the death penalty in capital murder cases. His experience dealing with complex and high-profile cases involving severe mental illnesses, including the defense of legal insanity, has paved the way for training programs focused on aggressive and creative defense advocacy.

Andrew graduated from Suffolk University Law School, where he received the Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law. He later served as a Judicial Intern in the United States District Court – District of Massachusetts and represented indigent clients in Boston Municipal Court as a part of the Suffolk Defender Clinic.

Our mission is to provide tools, strategies, mutual support, training and information to Public Defender Offices in Pennsylvania; to be the voice of public defense in Pennsylvania; and to promote best practices in the leadership, management, and administration of justice in Pennsylvania.