Hurricane Katrina was a catalyst for change in New Orleans’ public defender office

['Ari Shapiro', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-08-05 09:00:00

Transformation, two decades in the makingThe current Orleans Public Defenders office is downtown. Madeleine Jennings, an attorney at the Orleans Public Defenders office, sits at her desk. Danny Engelberg, head of Orleans Public Defenders, arrived in New Orleans in 2007. A key pivotIn 2020, the city council voted unanimously to give the Orleans Public Defenders office funding parity with the district attorney’s office. The Orleans Public Defenders office is downtown, takes up three floors and employs about 60 lawyers.