The Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Corporation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It was conceptualized in 2021, opening its doors in December 2022. The office is overseen by the Public Defender in conjunction with an appointed Board of Directors. Mon Defender consists of ten (10) attorneys and eight (8) staff members. In addition to the full-time employees, the office works in conjunction with various schools within West Virginia University to provide internships and externships for real-world learning experiences.

Mon Defender prides itself on its incorporation of the “holistic defense” model of representation. The office houses a full-time social worker as well as a parent resource navigator to assist our clients receive the resources and services they need from other non-profits or government agencies to resolve the root of the issues that lead to involvement in the criminal justice system.