Three attorneys have joined the Office of Public Defender for the 4th Judicial Circuit.
One assistant public defender has been appointed to the Juvenile Court Unit, one to the County Court Unit and one has joined the Felony Court Unit.
• Ashley Goggins is the newest assistant public defender in the Juvenile Court Unit. She is a 2012 graduate of the Stetson University College of Law, where she received a Juris Doctor and an MBA. Goggins started with the office in October as a volunteer attorney, partially through a law school fellowship. Since that time, she has helped assistant public defenders in felony cases.
• Brandon Rover comes to the public defender’s office from the Office of the State Attorney, where he served since last year. Rover is a 2010 graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law and a 2005 graduate of the University of North Florida with a degree in political science.
• Joshua Beard started June 13 as assistant public defender in the Felony Court Unit where he has handled a caseload in major crimes. Beard was an associate with the Arnold & Sichta law firm since 2009, where he handled criminal and probate cases at the state and federal levels. He earned his law degree from the Thomas Cooley School of Law in 2009 and his undergraduate degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2006.