joined the Maricopa County Defender's Office in 1987 as a trial attorney. Since Carlos developed an expertise in DUI cases, Carlos was chosen to head up the Vehicular Group when it was created in 1997. In the late 1990s, Carlos spearheaded statewide litigation over DPS and Phoenix Crime Lab's failure to disclose Intoxilyzer data that was adverse to the state (commonly known as the "ADAMS litigation"). As a result of that three-year litigation, over 1,000 DUI cases across the state were resolved with extremely favorable results. Carlos supervised Vehicular Group until he was asked to manage the Early Representation Unit in 2001. He oversaw the creation and expansion of that division and took on a number of challenging projects for the office, including space planning for all components of the ERU through various moves. He played a key role in planning office space in the South Court Tower. In April 2012, the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County recognized Dan for his "strong leadership, dedicated service and unparalleled contributions" to the South Court Tower Project. Carlos served as President of the Arizona Association of Drug Court Professionals, and co-chaired a planning committee that developed a statewide conference for those involved in problem-solving courts. After 15 years of service as a supervisor and manager, Dan transferred to the Appeals Group in January 2014.