September 15, 2025
The Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender proudly announces the opening of its second community-based office, the Freedom Defense Center of Austin (FDCA), located inside the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation on Chicago’s West Side.
May 13, 2025
New community office will bring holistic legal defense and support services to Chicago’s South Side.
Today, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle joined Cook County Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr., community members, elected officials, and partner organizations to officially open the Freedom Defense Center of Roseland (FDCR)—a first-of-its-kind community-based law office dedicated to providing holistic legal defense and wraparound services for residents of the South Side.
December 5, 2023
April 12, 2023
Thank you notes adorn the walls of Maria Gordils’ office at the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. Over the years, clients and their families have written to Maria to express gratitude for her helping them “get their life back.”
November 22, 2022
The Cook County Public Defender’s Office is pleased to announce the swearing in of 25 new attorneys who are now Assistant Public Defenders in our office. This group of attorneys joins our professional family and our mission to protect the fundamental rights, liberties and dignity of each person whose case has been entrusted to us by providing the finest legal representation.
October 4, 2022
The Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) is a national initiative supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to safely reduce the overutilization of jails and address racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal legal system. After receiving two planning grants in 2015 and 2016, Cook County received implementation grants in 2017, 2019 and 2021 to collaboratively develop strategies to reduce the Cook County jail population and disparities within it.
August 22, 2022
The calls come in day and night, seeking legal help for someone who has been arrested.
The Cook County Public Defender’s Arrest Hotline – 844-817-4448 – operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, taking calls and providing vital legal representation for people being detained by law enforcement anywhere in Chicago and Cook County.
No matter what the hour, an Assistant Public Defender immediately makes themselves available by phone or in person to provide expert legal assistance.
July 27, 2022
Do you need help getting back your suspended or revoked driver's license?
May 9, 2022
CHICAGO – In a historic step, attorneys from the Cook County Public Defender’s Office Immigration Unit Pilot have begun representing immigrants in bond hearings and removal proceedings before the Chicago Immigration Court.
April 26, 2022
A typical day for Alicia Stewart, an investigator with the Public Defender’s office for 21 years, involves six hours on the road, driving from Wilmette to Calumet, knocking on doors to talk to witnesses who can help build a defense case. She even travels out of state, flying as far as Arizona to interview witnesses and make arrangements for people to come testify in Cook County.
