Amid what McDonough County Circuit Judge Nigel Graham calls a “concerning” shortage of attorneys practicing in the area, the county board has approved a program to bring in interns to assist the Public Defender’s Office.
In his request to the county, Graham said it’s not a unique problem to the Ninth Judicial Circuit – nearly every rural county in Illinois has an unfilled opening for an assistant state’s attorney or assistant public defender.
“Adding to the frustration is that rural counties are a wonderful place to practice,” he said. “The hope is that these individuals will have an opportunity to work for a summer and realize what we already know – that they should live and work here.”
The plan, to start, adds one intern to shuffle between McDonough, Hancock and Fulton counties. All three would split travel expenses and a stipend, totalling $1,666.66 per county. A secured grant would cover additional costs.
McDonough County currently has one public defender, Scott Terry, and one assistant public defender, John Sheehan.
