Alexius Markwalder

Position: Deputy Attorney General III at Attorney General’s Office, CA Department of Justice
Past Fellows

Alexius Markwalder, 2003-2005 California Endowment Fellow

What drew you to civil rights law? Before law school, I was working in the Civil Rights Division of the federal Department of Justice where I focused on cases seeking to ensure accessible housing. Witnessing the changes in existing construction and plans for future construction and the difference we were making in people’s lives was amazing. After law school I knew I wanted to continue doing public interest work, and DRA being the preeminent public interest litigation organization in the area, I knew that was where I wanted to work.

What did you focus on as a fellow? I worked on healthcare cases, including one against Sutter that I particularly enjoyed. We had a working agreement with the hospital to make sure it changed its policies, procedures, and physical accessibility. Seeing them installing the equipment and printing accessible literature – seeing our work come alive – was an inspiring experience.

How did DRA impact what you went on to do? I’m currently a Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice and I work on whistleblower cases. I wanted to help the public – that was very important to me – and use the investigation and litigation skills DRA gave me. Only at DRA will a young attorney be given such wide latitude to manage a case, and still be able to access a wealth of experience like Sid and Larry have. Very early on in my fellowship I was taking depositions, writing motions, drafting complaints – things other lawyers don’t get to do until much later in their careers. I wouldn’t have my current job, which requires extensive litigation experience, if it hadn’t been for DRA.