Venus Sanders is the Misdemeanor Division Deputy Chief. As Deputy Chief, she serves as an operational leader of the division. She supports the day-to-day issues as they arise and ensures consistent coverage. She also supports the chief by implementing division priorities.
Education & Background
Venus is a dedicated criminal defense attorney with more than 12 years of experience representing clients throughout Texas and more than 9 years’ experience in public defense. She earned a BA cum laude in Psychology with a minor in Political Science from the University of North Texas. She earned her law degree from the Texas Tech University School of Law, where she gained strong foundational experience as a student attorney in the Caprock Regional Public Defenders Office. Working directly with indigent clients so early on in her career provided the spark for her commitment to public defense today.
After law school, she spent three years in private practice in Corpus Christi where she handled several felony and misdemeanor trials. While in south Texas, she represented hundreds of clients through every stage of the criminal justice system; from grand jury proceedings to final disposition. There, she was able to further hone her trial advocacy skills and gained extensive experience in representing those charged with all types of offenses.
Values & Motivation
She joined the public defender’s office in 2017 and since that time has handled thousands of misdemeanor cases for indigent clients in Dallas County; which has exposed her to every type of challenge a public defender could have. She has seen firsthand how effective representation can have benefits across many areas of a person’s life; employment, housing, education, etc. She takes pride in providing individualized and client-centered representation to provide the most practical solutions available to her clients.
Certifications & Areas of Expertise
She is a member of DCDLA, TCDLA, and a Criminal Trial College graduate.
