Who we are
Both graduates of U.C. Hastings in 1997, Gary Burcham and David Zugman began their professional careers at Federal Defenders of San Diego. In 2000, they opened Burcham and Zugman. For more than two decades now, they have been among the busiest federal court practitioners in the trial courts of the Southern District of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
Gary Burcham and David Zugman have dedicated their professional lives to criminal defense and civil rights litigation. Both are active in the community, members of the pro bono panel, and sought out mentors and advisors.
What we do
Burcham and Zugman believe that every client must be heard and understood. We believe in individualized representation. We represent our clients to the best of our ability and we do not stop until the case is over. We take great pride in being a small law firm, but still nationally ranked for the number of petitions for certiorari we file. Every case is the most important case to that person.
Why we do it
First, we believe that prison generally makes people worse, not better. We think that every day of incarceration saved is good. We also see the radical imbalance of power between the government and the people. That sort of institutional advantage requires experience and skill to overcome. Every case we take with the idea that we are trying to win. And if we cannot win it, then get our client out of it with the least amount of damage possible.
The client relationship is a special one. We honor our obligations and try to get the best outcome we can on every case.