New Hampshire Public Defender
Meredith Byerly is a Staff Attorney at New Hampshire Public Defender as of August 2023. Prior to this role, Meredith gained valuable experience as a Legal Intern in the Enforcement Division at the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification from May 2022 to August 2022, and as a Law Clerk at Hage Hodes PA, Attorneys at Law from May 2021 to November 2021. Earlier in the career, Meredith worked as a Paralegal at Desmarais Law Group, PLLC from May 2019 to August 2020, where responsibilities included reviewing damage documents and drafting legal documents. Meredith earned a Doctor of Law (JD) from DePaul University College of Law in May 2023 and holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Spanish from the University of New Hampshire, attended Universidad Nebrija in 2018, and studied at Rollins College from 2015 to 2016.
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.