‘Honored to lead’: Board names Baltimore lawyer Natasha Dartigue as Maryland Public Defender, to serve 6 year term

Baltimore’s high public defender, Natasha Dartigue, will go away to turn into the Maryland public defender in July, the company’s board of trustees introduced Thursday.

Dartigue, who’s serving in her Baltimore position in an interim capability, is changing retiring Public Defender Paul B. DeWolfe and can serve a six-year time period. The board chosen Dartigue, a first-generation American, after a job search that began earlier this 12 months.

“I’m honored to steer the Workplace of the Public Defender within the subsequent chapter of its historical past” Dartigue mentioned.

She replaces DeWolfe after his 12 12 months tenure, which was outlined by efforts to take care of staffing so as sustain with an ever-increasing caseload and pushes for legal justice reform.

“I’m dedicated to furthering these efforts as we proceed to navigate rising and longstanding challenges and acknowledge our successes,” Dartigue mentioned. “Collectively we are going to proceed to create significant legal justice reform.”

Having labored for the Workplace of the Public Defender since 1996, Dartigue was the best selection to go the state company charged with offering authorized illustration to these accused of crimes who can’t afford personal attorneys, mentioned T. Wray McCurdy, chair of OPD’s Board of Trustees.

“Ms. Dartigue has a mixture of spectacular {qualifications}, imaginative and prescient, and expertise, and the Board is happy to have her lead this company,” McCurdy mentioned. “She has proven management means each contained in the courtroom and within the better neighborhood.”

Dartigue has represented purchasers within the juvenile, district and circuit court docket divisions of OPD’s Baltimore Metropolis workplace. She beforehand served as a felony trial supervisor and the deputy district public defender for Baltimore Metropolis.

She has led the Baltimore workplace on an interim foundation since Kirsten Downs left the workplace final month to turn into govt director of the Homeless Individuals Illustration Course of, a nonprofit offering authorized illustration to the unhoused whereas working to eradicate homelessness in Maryland. It’s not clear who will likely be Baltimore’s subsequent high public defender.

Previous to becoming a member of OPD, Dartigue clerked within the Baltimore Metropolis Circuit Court docket for the late Choose Roger W. Brown. M. Dartigue is a graduate of the Howard College College of Legislation, the place she was a member of the Howard Legislation Journal.

Dartigue has acquired numerous recognitions and acknowledgements, together with service awards from the Maryland Workplace of the Public Defender, Nationwide Affiliation of Public Protection and the Baltimore Metropolis Division of Recreation & Parks and was named Authorities Lawyer of the Yr by the Bar Affiliation of Baltimore Metropolis.

Her time period will start July 1.