Philippa Lauben

Philippa Lauben is a California criminal defense attorney with 30 years of legal experience and an extensive background in serious felony, juvenile, and complex criminal litigation.

Philippa began practicing law in 1996 after graduating with honors from McGeorge School of Law. During the first decade of her career, she maintained a broad general practice, representing clients in both state and federal courts and gaining substantial experience in litigation, negotiation, courtroom advocacy, and client representation.

In 2005, Philippa shifted her practice primarily to criminal defense. For approximately two decades, she served as court-appointed criminal defense counsel under county indigent-defense contracts while also maintaining her private practice. During those years, she represented thousands of clients, with a substantial concentration in felony and juvenile cases.

That work gave Philippa unusually broad exposure to the criminal justice system and extensive experience evaluating evidence, investigating cases, litigating motions, examining and cross-examining witnesses, negotiating with prosecutors, advising clients through difficult and often lengthy proceedings, and taking criminal cases to trial. Her appointed work included responsibility for serious and complex cases in which clients faced significant prison exposure and life-changing consequences.

Over the course of her criminal-defense career, Philippa has represented people accused of offenses ranging from misdemeanors to some of California’s most serious felony charges, including murder and attempted murder, rape and other sex offenses, child sexual-abuse allegations, domestic violence, assault, drug offenses, and other serious crimes. She has also spent many years representing young people in juvenile delinquency and parents in dependency proceedings.

Philippa’s approach to criminal defense is thorough and strategic. She is known for digging deeply into the facts of a case, identifying evidentiary and legal issues that may not be apparent from the initial police reports, tracking witness inconsistencies over time, and developing a defense strategy based on both the immediate charges and the client’s long-term interests.

Her decades of courtroom experience have also taught her that no two criminal cases—and no two clients—are alike. Some cases require aggressive litigation and trial preparation. Others are best resolved through careful investigation, negotiation, mitigation, or a combination of strategies developed over time. Philippa believes effective representation requires understanding not only the evidence and the law, but also the person whose future is at stake.

Today, Philippa practices criminal defense with Walsh Law in Northern California, where she handles and assists with serious and complex criminal matters, including felony litigation, contested evidentiary issues, pretrial motions, juvenile cases, and trial preparation.

She earned her J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1996, graduating with honors. She received her B.A. from St. Lawrence University with dual majors in Philosophy and Government, also graduating with honors, and was a member of Phi Sigma Tau.

Philippa has been admitted to practice in California since 1996 and is also admitted to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.