Joe Elford, Chief Counsel

email: joe@safeaccessnow.org
phone: 510-251-1856 x320

After graduating from Yale Law School in 1996, Joe served as a law clerk for the Honorable Vaughn Walker of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California before working in criminal defense. In 2003, after assisting in all facets of the highly publicized prosecution of Edward Rosenthal and, later, his appeal, Joe joined ASA as the organization's attorney. In addition to compelling the California Highway Patrol revise its policy regarding the seizure of medical marijuana from qualified patients through a civil action in 2005, Joe has served as counsel for Gary Ross in his challenge to the indiscriminate firing of medical marijuana patients by private employers, which is pending before the California Supreme Court. Joe has also trained public defenders throughout the state how to defend medical marijuana patients.