County officials announced Wednesday they selected Christopher Swaby as the county’s first director of public defense and chief public defender in the next step toward launching the new public defense office.
Swaby will begin the role July 1, according to a county news release. He is on the board of the Washington Defender Association, and he’s a member of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; the Washington State Bar Association Council on Public Defense; and the Washington State Bar Association Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.
He began his career in 1990 as a public defense staff attorney in Washington, D.C. He moved to Washington in 2000, and he’s held a variety of defense positions across the state, representing clients in more than a dozen counties. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, the news release states.
“The establishment of the new Public Defenders’ Office reflects Clark County’s ongoing commitment to fostering a justice system that is equitable and responsive to the needs of its residents,” Swaby said in the news release. “I am deeply committed to addressing the pressing issues facing public defense services in Clark County.”
