New Hampshire Public Defender
Julianna McCorkle is a trial attorney at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, a position held since August 2024. Currently serving as a staff attorney at the New Hampshire Public Defender since September 2021, Julianna has previously gained experience as a judicial law clerk for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and as a legal intern at the New Hampshire Public Defender. Other relevant roles include law clerk at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and program manager at Defy Ventures. Julianna began their legal career as a paralegal at Gunderson Dettmer, following an undergraduate research role at Barnard College, where Julianna earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Biology. Julianna holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School, obtained in 2020.
New Hampshire Public Defender
The New Hampshire Public Defender was established in 1972 as a pilot project of New Hampshire Legal Assistance, and has existed as a stand-alone institution since 1985. Its sole purpose is to provide indigent defense services to citizens charged with crimes. The Program began with a single office in Concord. Over time, the Program opened satellite offices in other counties, and established administrative offices in its Merrimack County office, located in Concord, the state capital. In 1981, the Public Defender, in collaboration with the Franklin Pierce Law Center (now the University of New Hampshire School of Law), started the Appellate Defender Program, which provides indigent defense services to defendants who appeal their convictions to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Today, the Public Defender is an independent, non-profit, corporation with offices in every county. The Program works diligently to provide quality representation in a cost-effective manner to indigent defendants accused of crimes in all state courts. In addition to its attorneys, the Public Defender employs legal assistants, investigators, support staff, and information technology specialists, all of whom are dedicated to its core mission of serving indigent citizens accused of crimes.