About Our Office

The current Special Public Defender head of the office, Las Vegas attorney JoNell Thomas, was selected by the County Commission in 2017. The first Special Public Defender was Michael Cherry, retired Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court, followed by Phil Kohn and David Schieck.

Active in the Nevada legal community since 1992, Ms. Thomas has worked in both State and Federal Courts in Nevada. She has worked with the Nevada Supreme Court and has taught students at the Boyd School of Law. She has an extensive appellate record as well. To ensure that her attorneys are well trained and have the support of a professional staff to assist them in representing these most difficult cases, Ms. Thomas developed and oversaw an extensive training curriculum for the trial attorneys of the office. She participates in efforts to improve motion work and jury instructions. She oversees the hiring of essential experts necessary to provide a comprehensive client based representation. She has participated in numerous commissions within the State of Nevada offering extensive experience to promote and improve indigent defense in Nevada.

The Special Public Defender’s Office includes nearly 20 other attorneys, all of whom are highly experienced and devoted to providing quality representation to our clients. They provide specialized representation in complex cases and are assisted by investigators, mitigation specialists, and other support staff. Our appellate team handles appeals and writs before the Nevada Court of Appeals and Nevada Supreme Court