Dorota K. Poplawska serves as Counsel in the downtown San Diego office of Klinedinst PC. Her practice focuses on employment law, criminal defense, and appellate matters. Ms. Poplawska is an experienced trial attorney who most recently served in the Office of the Public Defender in San Diego. For more than a decade in this role, she has been dedicated to representing indigent defendants in Superior Court, managing a high-volume caseload of serious and violent felonies, while successfully handling numerous jury and bench trials, demonstrating her commitment to advocacy and her strong courtroom presence.

While at the Office of the Public Defender, Ms. Poplawska also spent several years as an Appellate Unit Attorney, where she focused on felony murder cases. Her efforts in legal research and motion practice resulted in a success rate of over 70% in litigating cases seeking to vacate murder convictions.

In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Poplawska has actively contributed to various community service initiatives. She has served as a volunteer judge and coach for high school mock trial teams, she was a board member for the San Diego Public Defender Outreach Committee, and she participated in expungement clinics to assist community members in clearing their records. Fluent in Polish and with limited proficiency in Spanish, Ms. Poplawska is dedicated to making a positive impact through her legal work and community engagement.

A graduate of Cornell Law School, she also holds a B.A. in History from Yale University and participated in a study abroad program at Oxford University.

Education

• Yale University (B.A.)
• Oxford University (Study Abroad)
• Cornell Law School (J.D.)