Dominic Sposeto

Dominic Sposeto graduated from Santa Clara University Law School. He was chief counsel of the Legal Aid and Public Defender Office of Santa Clara County, California, dabbled in the entertainment industry and later became partner in the law firm Madsen, Sposeto and Parker and went on to work on thousands of criminal cases. He lives with his wife in Sonoma, California.

They say that "justice is blind." But what if your defense attorney is blind as well? Such was the case for the thousands of clients of Sonoma resident Dominic Sposeto, a nationally-recognized lawyer and now author. Many of the cases Sposeto worked on are detailed in his recently published memoir, "La Famiglia and their Blind Advocate," in which Sposeto also recounts a family history spotted with mafia affiliations.

Sposeto's conversation is sprawling and brims with anecdotes and asides. Whereas some spin yarns, Sposeto weaves whole verbal tapestries from such seemingly disparate threads as dock workers, Sicilian fisherman, jazz singers, family lore, a nightclub he owned and the specter of the mafia always looming.

An avid swimmer as a young man (the enterprising Sposeto directed aquatics programs throughout the East Bay in his late teens), a diving injury agitated a congenital retinal condition that would leave him blind by the age of 20. Sposeto credits his mother Mary (referred to throughout the book as "Mama") with supporting him through the trying transition into permanent darkness.

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Born: Dominic John Sposeto July 19, 1934 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Parents: Angelo and Mary Sposeto

Siblings: Isabel, Frances, Frank and Kathryn (deceased)

Blindness at age 20 to Present

Birth until age 21 - Lifeguard, Swim Instructor, Aquatics Director, Physical Therapist

Age 21 to Present - Married 1955-1982 to Sherry Kelly, 2 children, Michael Francis Sposeto and Anthony Charles Sposeto, Law School 1958-1961, Chief Counsel & Administrator of Santa Clara County Legal Aid and Public Defender Association 1961-1966, Private Practice as Criminal Trial Lawyer 1962 to Present, Member of California State Bar 1962 to Present, Member of American Bar Association 1962 to Present, Member of The Bar of The United States Supreme Court 1969 to Present, Selected for Inclusion in Who’s Who In American Law, Second Edition; Marquis Who’s Who, 1979; Who’s Who in American Law, Eighth Edition, 1994-1995; Marquis Who’s Who 1994; Who’s Who in the West, 16th Edition, 1978-1979; Marquis Who’s Who, 1978; Who’s Who in the West, 17th Edition 1980-1981; Marquis Who’s Who, 1980.

Married to Wanda Bottom 1983 to Present. Stepchildren Joseph Bottom, Michael Bottom, Lyn Bottom, Lori Bottom, David Bottom.

Author of La Famiglia and Their Blind Advocate, Outskirts Press 2005, (Co-Authored by Sherry Jakey-Sposeto), a biography and history of the Esposito Family, which was the original surname of Dominic’s Grandfather prior to his coming to America from Italy, whose name was Dominico Esposito (Sposeto), 1877-1920.