The Cook County Public Defender Podcast

Assistant Public Defender Madeline Townsend is a great attorney in the Family Defense Division. and she shares with us how she went from math to law and her insightful viewson the so-called child welfare system.

Today we sit down with Mitigation Specialist Emma Sherman .  People ensnared in the criminal legal system, the family policing system, the immigration system, and all other systems defenders work in are judged on an accusation, a moment in time to the complete disregard of their entire life. Mitigation specialists in the Client Services Division tell the story of our clients. Client by client, cas...

Defender Theo Thomas is a brilliant attorney, trainer and teacher and is the Deputy of Professional Development with our office. Theo has successfully tried countless cases from misdemeanor to murder and everything in between. He also teaches at the DePaul College of Law and is the head coach of their Mock Trial Program.

Our guest this episode is Defender Edwin Alvarez who is an Assistant Public Defender in our Bridgeview Division. Edwin started with the office in 2022. He is a kind spirit with a fascinating story of how he became a public defender.

We are pleased to welcome Professor Dorothy Roberts to the show. Professor Roberts is the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law & Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, with joint appointments in the Departments of Africana Studies and Sociology and the Law School, where she is the inaugural Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights. She is also foun...

We are back for Season 2! And our first guest will be Professor Dorothy Roberts ! Our conversation comes out Monday July 6th After our first episode we will continue to highlight our Defenders and the great work they do every day. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and give a great review so we can spread the stories of the great work all our defenders do.

We sit down with Defender Elaina Ebert who is a paralegal in our Bridgeview Division. Elaina talks about the great work she does every day and her path to our office. From being a journalist in Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee, Elaina has taken a fascinating route to do the work she does for our clients.

We sit down with Deputy of Investigations, Steve Ramsey who leads the Investigations Division of the Office. Steve was born and raised in Chicago and started his career in broadcasting. Through different twists and turns, he landed with the Office as an investigator and now leads the entire team of investigators. Today we get to hear the story of this fascinating individual.

Today we sit down with the members of Team Keshia: Julie Koehler , Associate Director of the Homicide Task Force Kyan Keenan , Assistant Public Defender with the Homicide Task Force Sierra Bartlett , Mitigation Specialist Holly Krig , Director of Organizing with Moms United Against Violence & Incarceration. Team Keshia discusses the tragic case of Keshia Golden who is facing First Degree Murde...

Defender Ali Ammoura is an attorney in our Felony Trial Division as well as the Freedom Defense Center in Austin . Ali sits down with us to discuss his extraordinary life and the amazing work he has done for his clients and at the Freedom Defense Center using its holistic representation model.

We sit down with Bide Akande who is an attorney in the Felony Trial Division. We talk about his life and why he became a defender. In addition to being a great attorney, Bide is great actor among many other talents and is a member of Theatre Y and TUTA Theatre

Zafar Bandukda is an attorney in our Family Defense division. We talk about his life and why he became a defender. As you will hear, the child welfare system is riddled with unfairness and injustice, and Zafar is on the front lines fighting for every single client he represents. And somehow is able to live a full life outside the office through his many talents.

Policy is an important focus of the Cook County Public Defender's Office because all the work done in and outside of the courtroom sometimes isn't enough when the law is written in a way that harms our clients. Rory McHale is the Director of Legislative and External Affairs, and he joins us to discuss all the work he’s done on the policy front to even the playing field for our clients and...

We sit down with Editha Rosario Moore. Editha has an amazing story of twists and turns from acting to teaching to law and is currently an attorney supervisor with our Professional Development Division. She also is an ensemble member and serves on the board of directors of the American Blues Theater in Chicago. American Blues Theater | Chicago, IL

We sit down with Deputy of Administration, Janessa Gearlds who leads the office's administrative assistants. Janessa discusses all the work she has done to keep our office moving forward and the countless individuals who assist in that process. We also discuss what got Janessa into this work and all the challenges she overcame to be the great person she is.

We sit down with Assistant Public Defender Cruz Rodriguez who is an attorney in our Immigration Division. Cruz talks about the horrors that are going on in the immigration field and why he does this work. To learn more about what to do when confronted by ICE and Know Your Rights information, visit our website: Know Your Rights When Interacting With Immigration And Customs And Enforcement (ICE) | L...

For our first episode, we’ll sit down with the Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr. who will talk about the latest with the Public Defender budget and then we will feature Nancy Martinez who is a caseworker in our Family Defense Division. Anyone who has had the opportunity to work with Nancy knows what a wonderful person and Defender she is.