Judge Commends Public Defender’s Office

Kosciusko Superior Court I Judge Karin McGrath, who also serves on the state public defender commission, commended the public defender’s office at the quarterly Public Defender Board meeting Thursday.
“I’ve always really appreciated and respected the public defenders that we have working in the county. We have the best of the best doing the public defender work,” McGrath said. “But I will say since the inception of this office, I do believe defendants are getting representation in this regard.
“Having an agency that is focused - that’s what they do - they are so uniquely and aggressively, in a good way, committed to making sure that defendants’ rights are protected, their needs are met, and that things are moving more smoothly through my court. Responsiveness is amazing from this agency. They are on top of it because it’s what they do, and they are really doing it well. Already, I’ve seen positive repercussions in the way cases move, the level of professionalism, and the response on behalf of defendants, who have a right to all this really important support.”
In response, Jack Birch, chief public defender, stated, “I truly think the lawyers we have working for us are fairly passionate about their work.”
John Hall, board member, asked about the size of the staff. Birch said there are four full-time and five contract lawyers. “The contract lawyers aren’t really full-time. They have a pretty good caseload, handle a lot of cases, and are in the office all the time. For a variety of reasons, we have good communication and are providing more and more support for them, which the state encourages us to do. I think they appreciate that.”
McGrath said, “I think that is where some of the improvements are coming. Some of the attorneys are exactly the same attorneys, so their level of expertise and professionalism haven’t changed. They were excellent attorneys then, and they are now, but they have this added level of support.”
She continued, “There are things in place making it easier for them to do their jobs — you can tell.”
Birch said, “We’ve had a good relationship with the state. There were some issues the prosecutor had that we were not aware of, and we had some issues. Tony spearheaded how discovery is now being handled. Very positive communication is developing, whereas previously one lawyer wasn’t happy and didn’t communicate with anybody else. This is pretty beneficial, and we’re working on additional systems that could help everybody in the judicial system.”
During other matters, Birch noted that Ryun Hoffert, a college student, will begin his summer internship with the Public Defender’s Agency. Hoffert has previously interned with prosecutors and McGrath. Julie Pogue and Antony Garza will coordinate his internship. “I’m excited. He’s a very sharp guy and has especially expressed an interest in public defense.”
Birch additionally reported that nearly 100% of records have been moved to the Public Defender Information Service. He explained that the PDIS is state-provided software used for e-filing, tracking cases and gathering information on clients, including prior records and veteran status, which opens access to additional services. Contract lawyers have been asked to submit cases to include in the PDIS so cases can be better tracked.
He noted he is still in the process of obtaining additional licenses for the Lightning Law program and has begun working on the 2027 budget.
Hall asked about the budget. Birch said he doesn’t have the total yet but expects it will not increase by much.
A brief discussion was also held on a pilot program regarding misdemeanor reimbursement. A study is being conducted on the program, which will be decided by legislators.
The next meeting of the Public Defender Board will be at noon Thursday, Aug. 13.