IDP Administrator Joel

oN FEBRUARY 3, 2020, attorney Joel Lueck began his duties as the new Administrator for the Kern County Indigent Defense Program (IDP). Mr. Lueck’s demeanor and experience make him well suited for this new role. by David Wolf

He attended California State University, Bakersfield, were he received a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Economics. He then attended Southern Illinois University, School of Law. Upon graduating, he worked briefly for Clifford & Brown before being hired by the Kern County Public Defender’s Office. He worked as a Deputy Public Defender for ten years. Deputy Public Defender Jano Mattaeo had this to say about Mr. Lueck:

I have known Mr. Lueck for over 10 years. Mr. Lueck is not only a colleague, but a friend. Mr. Lueck has always been a man of integrity, professionalism and commitment. He is committed to his clients and his work. He is a zealous advocate and professional inside and outside of court. He is personable, witty and reliable. Joel has extensive experience in the criminal law and will be a great asset to the indigent defense panel.

Mr. Lueck then decided to strike out on his own and he opened the Law Office of Joel E. Lueck. As a solo practitioner, Mr. Lueck handled all stages of criminal procedure including pre-trial, preliminary hearings, motions, trials, sentencing and revocations. In 2017, Mr. Lueck started handling prison cases from the Delano Prison Court. Prison Court handles new crimes committed by inmates serving time on a prior conviction. Prison Court initially only handled cases from North Kern State Prison and Kern Valley State Prison. By the time, Mr. Lueck accepted the Administrator’s position both he and the Prison Court where also handling cases from California City, CCI Tehachapi and Wasco State Prison. Many of Mr. Lueck’s clients also participated in the Video Appearance Program which allows inmates to make their court appearances in the Delano Prison Court by video.

RES IPSA LOQUITUR Not only is Mr. Lueck up for the challenge for this exciting new adventure in his career, he is clearly up to adventures with his family which include: two mission trips to Uganda, off-road motorcycling, tracking mountain gorillas, walking the Great Wall of China, swimming in thermal spas in Ecuador (13000 plus feet above sea level) and helicoptering over the Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian/Argentina border. He also loves “football.” Of course, he means “soccer.” He’s excited to have attended two home matches for the Everton Football Club, a professional soccer team in Liverpool, England. He dragged his loving wife, of 24 years, to one of their home games for his 40th birthday. He has also attended soccer matches in Spain, Italy, Sweden and Greece. Clearly, Shannon (his wife) is a saint.

Of course, despite his amazing career and adventures, what he appears to enjoy most is his family. Nothing brings a smile to his face or puts that twinkle in his eye like talking about his wife and two sons. I’ve ready mentioned his wonderful wife Shannon. They have two boys. His eldest is heading off to the United State Army Reserves and will be starting college in 2021. His youngest is currently a freshman in high school and already plays varsity football team. (Sorry, I mean soccer team.)

Brandon Stallings, a Deputy District Attorney and Trustee for the State Bar of California, recalled his earliest memories of Joel:

As a young DDA, I was trying to figure out how to put on preliminary hearings and frequently opposed Mr. Lueck when he was a Deputy Public Defender. I remember that he always got to the heart of the issue with the case, and always zealously represented his clients, without losing sight of his ethical responsibilities as an officer of the court. Mr. Lueck brings exceptional people skills and the highest ethical standards to his new position. Kern County and the Kern County Bar Association is lucky to have a representative of Mr. Lueck’s caliber, and I wish him the best!

Presiding Judge Judith Dulcich noted that The Superior Court looks forward to working with Mr. Leuck in his new role as Administrator of IDP. When asked about his new role as the Administrator for IDP, Mr. Lueck said, “I’m excited for a new challenge in my career and this position will definitely force me to exercise a different skillset than I’ve become accustomed to using for the past 18 years as a criminal defense attorney.”