James Snowden

Chief of Major Crimes

James Snowden is a proud graduate of South Carolina State University and the University of District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. The current Chief of PD-15's Major Crimes Division, James has also served as Chief of the office's specialty units, which includes the Serious Crimes, Mental Health, and the Forensic divisions. PD-15 was one of the first Public Defender Offices in the State of Florida with a Forensic Unit, which is dedicated to providing assistance to cases involving DNA, latent prints, and other sciences. James has tried cases in Juvenile, County Court, and Circuit Court and has had the pleasure of working in every specialty division in PD-15 – representing children charged as adults and adults charged with misdemeanors and felonies, including those charged with first-degree murder and facing the death penalty. He has also served in Major Crimes Division/Capital Division and as a Felony Resource Director assisting felony attorneys. In his spare time, James enjoys family, friends, and Pittsburgh Steelers Football.