Zach Brooks, ESQ.

Zach Brooks is Of Counsel with Dod Law and focuses on constitutional litigation arising from police misconduct, excessive force, in-custody deaths, and related civil rights violations. He practices as a trial-level litigator licensed in both California state court and federal court. He also serves as an appellate attorney on the Appellate Defenders, Inc. panel, handling appeals that raise complex constitutional and procedural questions.

Zach earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his law degree from UCLA School of Law. His academic training provided a foundation in constitutional law and criminal procedure that continues to inform his litigation and appellate practice. His work sits at the intersection of trial advocacy, constitutional doctrine, and civil rights enforcement.

Zach has litigated a wide variety of civil rights cases under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and related state-law causes of action against police officers, sheriffs, and federal agents for violations of his clients’ constitutional rights. Across his practice, he has handled cases involving physical assault arising from excessive force during arrests, the failure to provide adequate medical care to pretrial detainees and individuals held in federal custody, and police shootings resulting in serious injury or death. These matters require careful factual development and close attention to constitutional standards governing use of force, deliberate indifference, and custodial responsibility.

His civil rights work often involves examining law enforcement decision-making in fast-moving encounters, custodial settings, and post-arrest environments, as well as the policies and training frameworks that shape officer conduct. He regularly works with medical experts, use-of-force specialists, and other professionals to evaluate injuries, causation, and institutional practices. Through this work, Zach seeks to hold government actors accountable when constitutional boundaries are exceeded, while grounding his advocacy in the evidentiary record and governing law.

In addition to his litigation practice, Zach is a forthcoming author with the University of California Press. His upcoming book, Liberty vs. Safety, examines constitutional criminal procedure and the enduring tension between individual rights and public-safety justifications. The book analyzes how courts and legislatures have shaped doctrines governing police authority, detention, and punishment, and how those doctrines operate in real-world litigation. It ultimately asks whether civil rights protections have been eroded in service of mass incarceration and institutional convenience.

Zach’s commitment to civil rights advocacy has deep roots. He is the son of Justin Brooks, founder of the California Innocence Project, and grew up immersed in wrongful-conviction litigation and systemic reform efforts. After watching his father walk an innocent man out of prison following three decades of wrongful incarceration, Zach dedicated his career to addressing procedural failures that can, and often do, undermine constitutional protections in practice.

Zach’s advocacy has been discussed in national media outlets, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and USA Today. Taken together, his practice reflects a sustained engagement with the practical application of constitutional principles in litigation involving state power and individual liberty, with an emphasis on translating constitutional doctrine into meaningful and enforceable protections.

Available 24/7, Mr. Brooks will promptly help you with your case.   Contact Dod Law to schedule a consultation with Zach.

Zach Brooks in the News

New York Times – A Second Doctor Is Sentenced in Matthew Perry Ketamine Case

ABC News – Doctor sentenced to 8 months home confinement in connection with Matthew Perry’s ketamine death

NBC News – Former California doctor is sentenced in Matthew Perry’s overdose death

DailyWire – Doctor Charged In Connection With Matthew Perry’s Death Avoids Prison

Zach Books, ESQ.
San Diego, California
Phone: (619) 814-5110

Areas of Practice

• Police Brutality | Misconduct
• Civil Rights
• Constitutional Litigation
• Trial Advocacy