San Diego Criminal Justice Memorial
Honorees
A memorial directory honoring deceased judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys who advanced criminal justice in San Diego County.
Nelson P. Brav
1941-2022
Nelson Philip Brav was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 17, 1941 and passed away in San Diego, California on December 19, 2022. Nelson served in the United States Marine Corps from 1963-1967. After his Honorable Discharge, Nelson attended California Western School of Law and graduated with a JD in 1969. He was admitted to the California Bar in January 1970.
After becoming an Attorney At Law, Nelson went to work at the Defenders Program of San Diego , Inc., representing indigent defendants in the State trial court in San Diego. He worked for Defenders from 1970-1972. Thereafter Nelson went into private practice with Steve Schwartz (Brav and Schwartz), who he had worked with at Defenders, Inc. Nelson continued representing individuals accused of crime until he retired in 2014.
Nelson was committed to his clients and the San Diego Criminal Justice community. He served as the Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association from 1974-1976. Nelson was a member of the San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association and California Attorneys For Criminal Justice. He was a member of the San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyers Club, and served as its eighth President from 1980-1981. Nelson also served on the Board of the Defender Organizations.
In 2006, Nelson was part of the volunteer committee that created the San Diego Criminal Justice Memorial and served on the committee until his retirement.
Nelson was generous with his time and was always willing to discuss cases and the practice of law with his colleagues and mentees. He had a deep interest in ethical issues and wrote an article in Dicta (the former professional publication of the San Diego County Bar Association) on the ethical questions raised by attorneys who were involved in “jail mail” (a form of solicitation of individuals who had been booked into county jail).
Nelson was intelligent, competent, creative, professional, generous, and had a warm personality. He dedicated his professional life to protecting the rights of the accused and contributing to our San Diego criminal justice system.