David L. Landefeld has been associated with the Fairfield County Prosecuting Attorney’s office since December 1980. He began his prosecuting career as the first assistant prosecuting attorney and became the Prosecuting Attorney in January 1983.  He has been elected six times and has the longest tenure as prosecuting attorney in the history of Fairfield County.  Presently, Prosecutor Landefeld is the longest-serving prosecuting attorney in the State of Ohio.

   He is a 1973 graduate of Kenyon College, in Gambier, Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, and a 1976 graduate of the Ohio State University College of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate degree. He passed the Ohio Bar in 1976 and the Florida Bar in 1977, and presently maintains licenses to practice in both states.

   Prior to joining the Fairfield County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Prosecutor Landefeld served as a part-time legal assistant in the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration Program (LEAA - now the Office of Criminal Justice Services) in Columbus from 1976 until 1978 and maintained a private law practice in Lancaster from 1976 until 1989 when he became a full-time prosecuting attorney.  Prior to 1984, all prosecuting attorneys in Ohio were part-time, and starting in 1989, prosecuting attorneys in counties with a population the size of Fairfield County were permitted to serve full-time.

   Prosecutor Landefeld is active in many legal associations. Active in the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, he served as its president from December 1995 to December 1996. He is also active in the National District Attorneys Association, serving on its Board of Directors since 1996, and as its Assistant Secretary from 2001 to 2004.  Prosecutor Landefeld has served as the Secretary of the Board of Directors since 2004.  In addition, he is a member of the American Bar Association, Ohio Bar Association, Florida Bar Association, and Fairfield County Bar Association.

   From September 1985 to January 1993, Prosecutor Landefeld served as an Instructor of Business Law for Ohio University at several of its regional locations. He has also served as faculty at the National District Attorneys Association’s National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, teaching trial advocacy and cross-examination.

    In 2006, the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association awarded Prosecutor Landefeld with its award for “Outstanding Prosecuting Attorney of the Year”.