The Cook County Public Defender Podcast

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 ForceKyan Keenan, Assistant Public Defender with the Homicide Task ForceSierra Bartlett, Mitigation SpecialistHolly Krig, Director of Organizing with Moms United Against Violence & Incarceration.Team Keshia discusses the tragic case of Keshia Golden who is facing First Degree Murder charges for defending herself against her long-time abuser after he attacked her when she was 8 months pregnant. The Cook County State's Attorney has decided to continue to prosecute her despite the overwhelming evidence showing Keshia acted in self-defense and campaign promises to protect survivors of domestic violence. You can contact the State's Attorney here.Image credit: Monica Trinidad

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 how he came to be a public defender.

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) | Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender

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.