Events Calendar

Please RSVP by Monday, January 29, on Symplicity.

Learn more about internship and permanent employment opportunities with the Kentucky Public Defender Office (KY Department of Public Advocacy).

The Department of Public Advocacy (DPA) is the Kentucky statewide public defender system with offices spanning from the beautiful Appalachian Mountains to the scenic lakes of southern Kentucky to the farmlands of Western Kentucky to the urban areas of Louisville, Lexington, and Covington (Cincinnati). DPA includes trial, appellate, post-conviction, capital, and juvenile opportunities. We are currently making offers to 3L students who wish to join the fight for justice and freedom in Kentucky in 2024. We also have paid internship opportunities available for those not graduating this year.

Why be a Kentucky Public Defender:

Courtroom experience from Day 1 Mentorship Program Holistic approach to representation Statewide Agency State Employee Benefits Inclusive and Diverse Workforce Low Cost of Living 150 hours of nationally recognized public defender training and education Daily opportunities to make a difference for those who need you Panelists Include:

Samuel Cox is the Trial Division Director at the Department of Public Advocacy (DPA). A graduate of West Virginia University and the University of Kentucky College of Law, Sam also held positions as Law Operations Division Director and as a Staff Attorney in Bell County, Madison County, Fayette County, and DPA’s Capital Trial Branch, where he performed with a high degree of skill in DPA’s most complex cases. He has educated public defenders on highly complex issues such as forensics and litigation of Intellectual Disability in death penalty cases. As Trial Division Director, Sam is responsible for oversight and support of each of DPA’s 40 trial offices, and takes an active role in recruitment of attorneys for those offices.

Jennifer Wittmeyer is the Assistant Trial Division Director for the Department of Public Advocacy. She graduated Cum Laude from George Mason School of Law in Arlington, Virginia and received her undergraduate degree from Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. While living in Washington, D.C., Jennifer worked for both the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Justice. Jennifer began her career as a public defender with the Louisville Metro Public Defender and joined DPA as a Staff Attorney in the Cynthiana Trial office in 2007. Jennifer became the Directing Attorney in Cynthiana and worked in that position for two years before becoming the Directing Attorney in the Bullitt County trial office in 2012. In 2020, she became the Central Region Manager and worked in that role until transitioning into her current position in 2022.