California Appellate Project in San Francisco (CAP-SF)

The California Appellate Project (cap) is a non-profit corporation established by the state bar of California. It began operation in san francisco in september, 1983 as a law office under contract with the judicial council of California to recruit, train, assist and evaluate private counsel appointed to represent indigent defendants in death penalty cases and non-capital appeals and writs in the California supreme court.in 2023 the san francisco office of cap assisted approximately 83 private attorneys appointed to provide representation in approximately 245 matters arising from 230 death judgments. In addition, it provided training programs, consultations, and research materials for appointed counsel, including practice guides and orientations to California's many recent ameliorative sentencing reform laws. It also provided record gathering, general resource, and consultation services to approximately 336 condemned defendants who are partially or completely unrepresented by appointed counsel.

In october, 1986, cap opened a los angeles office under separate contract with the judicial council of California to provide similar services in non-capital cases in the second district of the California court of appeal.assisted court-appointed counsel representing indigent clients in over 4,000 cases, criminal, juvenile justice (delinquency), child welfare (juvenile dependency), and conservatorship cases. Directly represented indigent clients in 300 cases, criminal and child welfare (juvenile dependency). Trainings and education for panel of attorneys qualified to represent indigent clients, including seminars and resource materials. Also conducted special training programs for law student interns, new admittees, and programs focused on less experienced attorneys, as well as over a dozen mcle trainings.