Name: Daniel Eisinger
Date, place of birth: I was born on August 28th, 1978 in Tel-Aviv, Israel. I moved to the United States in 1980.
Campaign website: www.DanielEisinger.com
Occupation: Chief Assistant Public Defender, Palm Beach County (15th Judicial Circuit)
Education: BA, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida (2000); JD, Levin College of Law, University of Florida (2003)
Work history, past 15 years, starting with the most recent.
I have spent my entire legal career at the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office, where I have worked for more than 20 years. For the past six of those years, I have served as Chief Assistant – the highest staff-level position in the office – to our retiring Public Defender Carey Haughwout. Prior to this, I served as Chief of the Felony Division for approximately eight years. I have also supervised the Misdemeanor Division and worked in the Homicide Division. I began as an Assistant Public Defender.
Why are you running for this office, and what makes you the best candidate?
I believe that my values, experience, and dedication to the mission of the Public Defender’s Office make me the best candidate for this position. I am ready and eager to build upon the office’s tradition of excellence.
For more than 20 years at the Public Defender’s Office, I have sought to provide unparalleled legal representation to the poorest residents of our community. For the past six years, I have served as our retiring Public Defender Carey Haughwout’s Chief Assistant. As Ms. Haughwout’s “right hand man,” I help manage about 200 employees, an annual budget of approximately $18 million, and around 40,000 cases per year. Carey has always been my mentor and role-model, which is why I am honored to have earned her endorsement.
Outside of my duties as Chief Assistant, I have always carried my own caseload as an attorney because I believe in leading by example. This experience in the courtroom provides me with valuable insights about what might be done differently at our office and in the legal system. For example, it led me to initiate a misdemeanor mental health court where low-level offenders with mental health issues are connected with mental health care professionals and provided with treatment. Since the project’s inception, we have seen a reduction in the rate at which those utilizing its resources re-offend. That’s a good thing for our clients and for everyone in our community. When the County Commission heard about the program, they graciously partnered with us in order to provide even better services.
I additionally spend a good deal of time training young lawyers who recently made the decision to dedicate their lives to defending the indigent — the same decision I made in 2003. Helping them improve their craft, just as others helped me, is personally and professionally gratifying.
Have you ever been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime, received a withheld adjudication or had a matter sealed or expunged? If yes, explain.
No.
Have you been a plaintiff or defendant in a civil action, including bankruptcy or foreclosure or had a restraining order issued against you? If so, explain.
No.
Salaries for assistant public defenders remain low despite recent raises, and turnover averages 20 percent. How will you address chronic turnover?
Across America, lawyers practicing public defense are overextended and underpaid. That said, and although there remains much room for improvement, I am proud to report that the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office has among the lowest turnover rates of the 19 Public Defenders’ Offices in Florida. We also pay new Assistant Public Defenders higher starting salaries than any of those other offices. The strategies we have implemented to minimize turnover and increase pay have been impactful. As our next Public Defender, I intend to expand upon them.
The dedicated attorneys who often spend decades (and, in some cases, their entire careers) in our line of work are the backbone of our office. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that workplace culture contributes to their individual well-being and their collective morale. To keep caseloads manageable, I’ll require all lawyers on staff argue cases in court — including me and those serving on my leadership team. It’s critically important for everyone to carry a fair share of the weight. Further, it’s extremely beneficial for new attorneys with little courtroom experience to partner with more seasoned attorneys as co-counsels. Doing so encourages both parties to grow and learn, which ultimately improves outcomes for clients.
Finally, I will make certain that our attorneys and support staff (investigators, paralegals, legal assistants, social workers and others) are equitably compensated. The cost of living in Palm Beach County is sky high. Salary increases are an absolute necessity. That’s why I will fiercely appeal to Palm Beach County’s legislative delegation along with legislative leaders of both parties and the governor for funds to raise pay. I will additionally remain a strong voice within the Florida Public Defender Association, a nonprofit professional organization advocating for the interests of those working in public defense.
Staffing is so poor in the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) for case preparation and research. Do you support this and would you use it?
While staffing is a challenge in all jurisdictions, I am excited that there will be 20 new soon-to-be lawyers joining the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office next month. We will be fully staffed! The height of the COVID-19 pandemic was a difficult time due to fewer law school graduates, a lack of meaningful internship opportunities and other contributing factors. Now, at last, the tide seems to have turned. I cannot wait to start working with our new folks.
When it comes to artificial intelligence, I feel that we must take a measured approach. AI is not a cure-all for staff shortages. The practice of law, especially criminal defense, is very much a human endeavor. As attorneys, we interact with real people at some of the most difficult moments of their lives. No technological advances will ever be able to replace the humanity needed to give them sound advice and bring comfort in dark times.
Even so, I do believe that some law-specific generative AI programs can be valuable tools for lawyers. During my tenure as Chief Assistant at the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office, we have incorporated technologies — including some generative AI programs — allowing us to better serve clients. Forms of AI have been used for many years to conduct online legal research as well as to streamline the review and organization of discovery documents. This frees up hours of time that lawyers and support staff can now spend on other matters (investigations, client communications, the development of creative litigation strategies, etc.). In many ways, law-specific AI is the “wave of the future” and lawyers should not dismiss the opportunities it presents.
