The Warren County Public Defender’s Office has moved most of its staff from Warren County Municipal Center to downtown Glens Falls to better serve the agency’s clients.
Most of the Public Defender’s Office staff is now located at 333 Glen Street (former Traveler’s Building), on the east side of the ninth floor.
Warren County Public Defender Greg Canale and First Assistant Public Defender Erin Komon said a number of factors played a part in the need to make the move, most pressingly a need for more space to guarantee confidentiality for clients.
The Public Defender’s Office had been using space that was formerly part of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, where many assistant public defenders did not have their own office and conference space was extremely limited.
The new office also has space for attorney mentoring, which Canale said he hopes will result in less turnover thanks to relationships with senior staff.
“This space is far more conducive to being a law office than where we were at the Municipal Center,” Canale explained.
The new office is also within walking distance of Glens Falls City Court, where the Public Defender’s Office has extensive caseload.
The new office is not impacting the county budget, as New York State is paying to lease the space.
Three attorneys who handle cases in Warren County Family Court and Warren County Court, both of which are based at Warren County Municipal Center, will remain in offices at the Municipal Center, since all of their work is on site.
Also funded by New York State are two caseworkers who assist Public Defender’s Office clients, one of whom will remain at the Municipal Center while the other will work at the new Glens Falls location.
Most of the office’s clients apply for representation at their first court appearance, and meet with their lawyers at court or at Warren County Jail.
The Warren County Assigned Counsel Office and Warren County Workforce Development Office are also located at 333 Glen Street.