Public Defender History

The purpose of the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office is to safeguard individual rights in all criminal and related matters, from arrest or confinement through all stages of criminal proceedings, including trial, if necessary, consistent with applicable laws, court rules, and rules of professional responsibility. Our primary function is to provide the zealous assistance of effective counsel in all criminal and related proceedings, honoring the principles established in Gideon v. Wainwright.  

Our goals  

Fully investigate cases efficiently and within a time period that provides each individual with the level of service mandated by law.  

Provide effective criminal defense to all clients to ensure that constitutional rights are upheld, including the right to a fair trial.  

Quickly undertake productive representation for those who are indigent.  

Administer indigent defense resources wisely and promote efficiency in all operations so that each individual receives the service guaranteed by law.  

Collaborate with county, state, and public defender agencies, as well as judicial bodies, to develop and implement legally appropriate and cost-effective alternatives for punishment and rehabilitation.

Defending the rights of the accused: Preserving the rights of us all.

On March 5, 1770, American colonists protesting British policies gathered in Boston. British soldiers were called in to control the protests, and violence erupted. When it was over, 5 colonists lay dead, and 8 British soldiers were arrested and placed on trial for murder.

Not surprisingly, few Boston attorneys were interested in representing the British soldiers. The soldiers were hated, viewed as terrorists who had killed Americans on American soil! However, one lawyer stepped forward. He was not a British sympathizer, and he understood the consequences he would face, but he chose to represent the 8 accused soldiers anyway!

That attorney was John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States and our First Public Defender.

The landmark case of **Gideon v. Wainwright** established that the right to counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial, applying to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In 1963, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Gideon v. Wainwright that poor people accused of crimes were constitutionally entitled to the assistance of an attorney. In that case, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black stated:

"Reason and reflection require us to recognize that in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court who is too poor to hire a lawyer cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him." He emphasized that the noble ideal of fair trials before impartial tribunals cannot be realized if the poor man charged with a crime has to face his accusers without legal representation.

Our **Shelby County Public Defender's Office** is the second oldest public defender office in Alabama, established in 1991 with Mr. Bob Williams as its first Public Defender for Shelby County. In August 2020, Michael A. Hensley was appointed as the Public Defender and Director.

This office remained open and fully staffed during the COVID pandemic, ensuring that our attorneys could appear for private lawyers and visit local inmates as needed.

In October 2020, the Shelby County Public Defender's Office began representing individuals in our Misdemeanor and Traffic Court. By August 2022, we expanded our team to include a Social Worker, who collaborates with various courts and state and county agencies to provide essential support to defendants and inmates.

In October 2022, we added representation for individuals in our Drug Court. In 2022, we also began defending individuals charged with a Capital Offense and representing clients in Misdemeanor Appeals and Municipal Appeals in Shelby County.

The office moved to its current location in July 2025. With the founding of the Domestic Violence Docket in 2025, we started providing representation for individuals involved in this docket. In April 2026, two attorneys from the Shelby County Public Defender's Office graduated from the inaugural class of the Alabama Criminal Defense Trial College.

Our dedicated defense team consists of Attorneys, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Social Workers, and Investigators. Our attorneys represent individuals charged with state felony offenses, including capital murder, as well as misdemeanor offenses, traffic offenses, and appeals from Shelby County. We also staff our Accountability Courts like Drug Court. Since August 2020, our staff has tripled in size, and there are public defenders in our courts every day!