The Conservatorship/Mental Health unit represents clients who are being held on a civil commitment due to a mental illness or developmental disability. In this capacity, the Public Defender advocates for mental health patients who wish to contest their involuntary treatment under the various provisions of the Laterman-Petris-Short (“LPS”) Act and Welfare and Institutions Code section 6500. Individuals suffering from a mental illness or developmental disability can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Accordingly, the Public Defender works vigorously to safeguard the due process protections and constitutional rights of our clients who are facing a civil commitment under these statutory provisions.