"Watching Tony in action is one of the reasons I became a pubic defender. As a new trial lawyer, I tried to emulate Tony. I had heard that he used to lick the railing at the Hall Of Justice (or "injustice" as it is sometimes called) between the first and second floor so he could absorb the souls of all of those defendants who have walked that stairway to meet their legal destinies. I couldn't bring myself to do it and whenever I lost a case, I would think to myself, 'Tony Serra would have won that case.' "
–Jeff Adachi, San Francisco Public Defender