Citing Burnout, Illinois Attorneys Push Public Defense Reform

The chief public defender of a western Illinois county in 2023 took a drastic measure after a slew of attorneys left his already small staff: He told local judges that his overburdened office could no longer accept new cases.

“The rules of professional conduct required that I take that action, particularly the obligation to provide competent representation,” former Adams County Public Defender Todd Nelson said Monday during a summit on the state of public defense in Illinois.

Nelson eventually secured more resources for the office, he said, after judges and county officials realized how difficult and expensive it would ...