Steve Wright J.D. ’77, longtime criminal defense attorney known as a straight shooter in the courtroom and second father to many young people he helped through the legal system, passed away unexpectedly on December 30, 2010, while on a family vacation in Reno, Nev. Wright, a father of five, had celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary on Dec. 18 to Rita Wright, whom he’d known since nursery school and started going steady with at age 14.  Born in Santa Monica and raised in Southern California, Wright and his wife moved to Santa Cruz in 1972 so he could attend UC Santa Cruz. After graduating with a degree in community studies in 1974, Wright went on to Santa Clara University Law School and after finishing, he immediately began working for the Santa Cruz County Public Defenders Office. His interest in defense work was piqued early when he did a project with the public defenders office for a UCSC class, and it continued to grow through his work as an investigator there during law school, family members said. “He just loved people and wanted to make sure everyone got a fair trial even if they didn’t have any money,” said Wright’s oldest daughter Alison Wright, 36, of Scotts Valley. “He wanted to protect people’s rights, especially the people who couldn’t take care of themselves.” Wright left the Public Defenders Office in 1989 to start a private practice with attorney Tom Wallraff. Wright and Wallraff provided alternate public defender services through a contract with the county Board of Supervisors. The duo disbanded the practice in 1995 and Wright continued practicing criminal defense work as a sole practitioner. Recently, he won the attempted murder case of 17-year-old Fabio Jesus Lopez, who was accused of a December 2009 shooting on the Pajaro River levee. Lopez was tried as an adult and faced a life sentence. After the jury delivered a not guilty verdict Dec. 13, Wright said he was “thrilled… because it meant (Lopez’s) whole life.” Public defense attorney Jerry Christensen, a friend and colleague of Wright for 35 years, said Wright’s death is a major loss for the local legal community. “It’s sort of like losing a younger brother. We grew up together in the public defenders system,” Christensen said. “Steve was just a really special guy. He was one of the better ones around.” Wright’s legal career was marked by two unsuccessful attempts of running for a seat on the Santa Cruz County Superior bench. He lost a bid in June 2008 to former Assistant District Attorney Ariadne Symons and he lost a race last year to civil attorney Rebecca Connolly. Wright, who would have been the first criminal defense attorney to sit as a judge in Santa Cruz County, lost both races despite broad support countywide. Symons said she’s tried several homicide cases against clients of Wright, and since she’s been a judge, he’s never hesitated to face her on the bench. “Steve was an excellent lawyer,” Symons said. “He tried hard cases and was always willing to take the hard cases. He recently convinced me to give his client drug rehabilitation because of his excellent presentation. It got everyone’s heart strings.” Outside the courtroom, Wright was dedicated to youth sports programs, especially the athletic program at Harbor High School, where his children attended and excelled at various sports. Harbor High officials recently inducted Wright into its Hall of Achievement in honor of his work as booster club vice president, director of the school’s annual golf tournament and announcer for the football, volleyball and basketball games, as well as wrestling matches. District Attorney Bob Lee, often on the opposite side of the courtroom from Wright, described him as a great trial lawyer who was dedicated to his family. “He constantly talked about his kids and his wife Rita, constantly,” Lee said. “He was a true gentleman, and I can’t say that about all the attorneys I work with.”