Right to Effective Counsel

Strengthening Public Defense in Utah

Welcome

"To maintain a fair and robust adversarial process that guarantees people’s
constitutional protections, the public defense function must be
considered an equal and valued partner in the criminal justice system in Utah."
Gov. Spencer J. Cox

The Indigent Defense Commission aims to strengthen indigent defense services and improve access to quality representation throughout Utah in the areas of criminal, juvenile delinquency, child welfare (parental), and appellate defense. With that in mind, our site provides information and resources to public defenders and their staff, state and local government officials, other criminal justice system stakeholders, our clients, and the general public.

The mission of the Indigent Defense Commission is to protect constitutionally guaranteed liberties through ongoing support for effective indigent defense services throughout the state of Utah.

The commission's purpose is to collaborate with the Utah legislature, other state agencies, local governments, indigent defense providers, and community stakeholders to:

offer guidance and standards for systems to oversee local defense services and ensure effective representation;
collect and report data about local indigent defense services;
award supplemental state funding to local governments to help support and improve local indigent defense services;
encourage and aid in the regionalization of indigent defense services in rural counties throughout the state; and
expand continuing legal education opportunities for indigent defense attorneys.

The Utah Indigent Defense Commission is composed of 15 voting members. Commissioners are key leaders in state and local government, criminal defense, indigent defense services, and the courts. The following individuals are currently serving on the commission:

Chair John Kwarm | Recommended by the Utah Minority Bar Association to represent minority interests
Walter Bugden | Criminal defense attorney recommended by the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Mary Corporon | Criminal defense attorney recommended by the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Paul Dodd | Recommended by the Utah League of Cities and Towns
Michael Drechsel | Appointed by the Administrative Office of the Courts
Rep. Stephanie Gricius | Appointed by the Speaker of the House
Lorene Miner Kamalu | Commissioner from a county of the first or second class recommended by the Utah Association of Counties
Margaret Lindsay | Attorney representing the Child Welfare Parental Representation Program (Title 78B, Chapter 22, Part 8)

Richard Mauro | Director of a county public defender organization recommended by the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Aaron McKnight | Recommended by the Utah League of Cities and Towns
Tom Ross | Executive director of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Kendall Thomas | Commissioner from a county of the third through sixth class recommended by the Utah Association of Counties
Pam Vickrey | Attorney practicing in juvenile delinquency defense recommended by the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Sen. Todd Weiler | Appointed by the President of the Senate
Justice Michael Zimmerman (Ret.) | A retired judge recommended by the Judicial Council

The Indigent Defense Commission usually meets every third Thursday of the month. Meetings are held from 2 PM to 4 PM both in person in the commission office and online. They are open to the public. A meeting notice is published on the Utah Public Notice website 24 hours prior to a meeting. Audio and video recordings of the meetings, as well as the minutes and copies of handouts and other materials discussed, are posted on the Utah Public Notice website after each meeting.

The Indigent Defense Commission was created by the Utah legislature in 2016. It is governed by the Indigent Defense Act, Utah Code Title 78B Chapter 22. The act covers the following areas:

Part 1 General Provisions

Part 2 Appointment of Counsel

Part 3 Indigent Defense Systems and Services

Part 4 Utah Indigent Defense Commission

Part 4a Office of Indigent Defense Services

Part 7 Indigent Aggravated Murder Defense Fund

Part 8 Child Welfare Parental Representation Program

Part 9 Indigent Appellate Defense Division (IADD)

Part 10 Indigency Verification

Part 11 Youth Defense Fund

The Indigent Defense Commission developed and adopted core principles for the provision of effective indigent defense representation in the state of Utah. The purpose of the principles is to provide guidance to government officials and policymakers, set performance standards and expectations for local systems and appointed counsel, and promote professionalism and high quality of representation of indigent individuals. The principles encompass the provision of indigent defense services in three specialized areas of practice: adult criminal defense, youth delinquency defense, and child welfare/parental defense. In addition, the Indigent Appellate Defense Division created standards for appellate representation in Utah.

General Core System Principles for the Provision of Indigent Defense Services

Principles for Appointed Attorneys Representing Youth in Delinquency Proceedings

Principles for Appointed Attorneys Representing Indigent Parents in Child Welfare Proceedings

Core Principles and Standards for Appellate Representation

Bronze statute of Justice on a wooden table with a gavel and law books in the background.

Staff Directory

Position	Name	Email
Executive Director	Matthew Barraza	[email protected]
Assistant Director	Adam Trupp	[email protected]
Managing and Training Attorney	Zoraya Gappmaier	[email protected]
Capital Mitigation and Forensic Social Worker	Dr. Daniel Lancaster	[email protected]
Grant Program Manager	Katriina Adair	[email protected]
Research and Data Analyst	Leslie Howitt	[email protected]
Fiscal Analyst	Joshua Buhay	[email protected]
Chief Appellate Officer	Debra M. Nelson	[email protected]
Deputy Chief Appellate Attorney	Ben Miller	[email protected]
Criminal Appellate Section Chief	Wendy Brown	[email protected]
Family Appellate Defense Section Chief	Alexa Mareschal	[email protected]
Attorney, Criminal Appeals	Ramon Ortiz	[email protected]
Attorney, Criminal Appeals	Lyla Mahmoud	[email protected]
Attorney, Criminal Appeals	Dylan Carlson	[email protected]
Attorney, Family Appellate Defense	Jason Richards	[email protected]
Attorney, Family Appellate Defense	Kirstin Norman	[email protected]
Attorney, Post-Conviction Relief	Angela McGuire	[email protected]
Director of Legal Assistants	Ashlee Olson	[email protected]
Legal Assistant, Criminal Appeals	Natalie Hernandez	[email protected]
Legal Assistant, Family Appellate Defense	Vacant	[email protected]

Contact the IDC

You may use the electronic form below to contact the Indigent Defense Commission staff. Please complete all fields and submit.

Annual Reports

The Indigent Defense Commission was created by the Utah legislature in 2016. We are pleased to present annual reports that highlight our achievements and growth each year since then.

"We are particularly pleased to share the 2025 Annual Report. The IDC appreciates the ongoing support from the Utah governor and the legislature, who take seriously the state’s responsibility to safeguard its residents’ Sixth Amendment rights. We also wish to recognize our valued county and city partners whose collaboration is instrumental to improving indigent defense statewide. We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders in the coming year to build upon our successes and to stay focused on providing the best representation to the people we serve."

- Commission Chair John Kwarm

Students

The Indigent Defense Commission may have paid or unpaid internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in careers in law, public administration, and public policy.

INTERNSHIPS

The Office of Indigent Defense Services (the commission's administrative arm) may occasionally have opportunities for interns to assist staff with special projects and research. Please send inquiries to the Executive Director.

LAW CLERKS

The Indigent Appellate Defense Division hires 2L and 3L students who are interested in learning about criminal appellate indigent defense, parental rights, and post-conviction representation as law clerks. Law clerks work with experienced attorneys and gain hands-on experience with our cases. Interested students should inquire about possible openings by contacting the section of interest:

Criminal Appeals (adult or youth): [email protected]
Family Defense Appeals: [email protected]
Post-Conviction: [email protected]