Happy 50th Anniversary to the Third Judicial District Public Defender Office

A group shot of “the Third” in early 2022, dressed in bow ties to celebrate the retirement of their longtime office manager.

by Danielle Hamilton Slate, Senior Assistant Capital Defender

This July, the Third Judicial District Public Defender Office (a.k.a. “the Third”) celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Third was one of two public defender offices opened in Kansas in 1972 – the state's first two public defender offices. (The other one was the North Central Regional Office in Junction City, which you can read about here.)

When it opened, the Third was overseen by the local district court. As a result, a panel of Shawnee County District Court judges was responsible for hiring the first chief, Joel Meinecke. The office was comprised of three attorneys and one staff person. By 1979, when Ron Wurtz took over as chief, the office had already grown to include four attorneys and two support staff. By the time Ron left in 1994, the office had six attorneys and three support staff.

Although Ron went on to work for the Death Penalty Defense Unit and then the Federal Public Defender, his time at the Third stands out as some of the most fun he has had practicing law. During his years at the Third, Ron tried dozens of cases. Ron and the attorneys who worked for him took pride in working hard for their clients, putting the State’s evidence to the test, and prevailing on motions and with juries. 

And indeed, many talented attorneys have passed through the Third – some spending their careers there, others moving on to find success elsewhere in the legal world. One such attorney is the Honorable Stacey Donovan, now a district court judge in Douglas County. Judge Donovan began her legal career at the Third in the fall of 1997, shortly after graduating from law school. In 2011, she became the office’s chief. Judge Donovan recalls:

“The day of my interview, I had to wait for over an hour because Chief Al Bandy and Deputy Chief Cindy Sewell were stuck in court. When my interview started, I felt like I was in front of a firing squad. Al, Cindy, Julia Spainhour, and Roberta McVickers grilled me for over an hour. Luckily, I passed their tests, and I was hired.” 

The offices at that time were directly across the street from the courthouse at 6th and Quincy. “To say the offices were less than stellar is an understatement,” Judge Donovan recalls.  “It was on the second floor of a historic downtown building (read: decrepit), situated directly above The Downtowner, a greasy spoon where the public defenders were allowed to run a tab. Those who smoked did so from the comfort of their own desks. Many offices were windowless, so the smoke just hung in the air. My office had slanted floors such that my pens would roll off my desk.”

By mid-1998, then-Chief Al Bandy had secured a new location on the third floor of the Insurance Building at 7th and Jackson, where the office remains to this day. “Those offices are just beautiful,” Judge Donovan opined. “They look and feel like a law firm should.”

“I absolutely loved working at the Third. There was a long period of time when all of the lawyers had worked together for at least ten years! When you are in an office like that, you become much more than colleagues. We went through all of life’s big moments with each other – weddings, divorces, babies being born, parents dying, little ones starting school, and graduates moving away to college – and were better for those relationships. 

“People didn’t leave for other jobs because Al created a work environment that was professional, fun (sometimes too much), supportive, and challenging. As a new lawyer, I loved being around so many seasoned attorneys who could answer any question I threw at them. I also loved having a support staff who could weather any storm. We celebrated our wins and commiserated over our losses together. There were times when the combined experience of the attorneys in our office was well over 100 years – our bench was deep. The mentorship in that office was unmatched.” 

In 2011, Al Bandy retired and handed the reins over to now-Judge Donovon, who ran the office until 2020, when she was chosen to be a judge. “I know that most of the faces have changed since I left in 2020, but I know everyone at the Third is still kicking butt on behalf of their clients. I wish everyone there a very happy 50th anniversary, and I am incredibly proud to have been a part of that office for my entire career as an attorney.”

Today, the Third is on track for more changes as the current chief, Maban Wright, will be sworn in as a judge in the Shawnee County District Court on September 14th. Of the last three chiefs, she is the second to move on directly to the district court bench, speaking to the caliber of attorneys who have led that office. 

However, even as staff turns over, the feeling that the Third is a wonderful place to work remains. The office continues to be filled with dedicated, hardworking, client-focused attorneys and support staff who are doing, and will continue to do, great things.