Public Defender Matt Shirk named five new attorneys to the Fourth Judicial Circuit office.
Three of the newly appointed assistant public defenders will serve in the Duval County office, one has been assigned to the Clay County office and the other to Nassau County.
• Kelli Kiefer joined the Duval County Court Unit March 5. She graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in May 2011.
• Dee Stresing joins the Duval County Court Unit. She most recently served in the Legal Aid Society in Orlando. She graduated from the Florida Coastal School of Law.
• Courtney Drew joined the Juvenile Court Unit March 12. She volunteered with the office during much of 2011. In November, she enlisted in the pro bono program with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and began handling guardianship cases. She graduated from Florida Coastal.
• Ralph Chavers serves in the Clay County office where he takes on a misdemeanor caseload. His experience includes administrative law work in Ocala, management of his own firm and volunteering at the public defender’s office. He earned his J.D. from Florida Coastal.
• Arielle Davis joined the Nassau County office. For the past year, she has handled First Appearance Court for the State Attorney’s Office in the Fourth Judicial Circuit. She graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Before law school, she taught middle school in Baker County and worked as a flight attendant.