Kyana Givens will be the next Federal Public Defender for the Districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, following Miriam Conrad's retirement. Press release available here.
Kyana Givens is currently an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Eastern District of North Carolina after being a Visiting Attorney Advisor, at the Defender Services Office's Training Division, from August 2018-December 2019. During her time with Defender Services Office, Ms. Givens researched, helped create, and taught monthly National Training Division continuing legal education programs and lectured at seminars for Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorneys and FPDs nationwide. A highly sought-after trainer, Attorney Givens has extensive training experience, including but not limited to, providing numerous trainings for CJA attorneys and FPD offices, continuing legal education sessions, and bar association lectures.
She previously served as a trial attorney at The Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Washington since 2009 and a state public defender with the King County Public Defender (TDA) in 2005. As the Albert M. Sacks Fellow at Harvard Law School, Ms. Givens has worked closely with Clinical Professors teaching and training in trial advocacy.
She is a faculty member of the National Criminal Defense College and the National Forensic College.
Chief Judge Howard stated, "Attorney Givens is a highly respected and experienced criminal defense attorney, and the Court is pleased that she will serve as the next Federal Public Defender. Attorney Givens has a demonstrated commitment to indigent criminal defense, and the Court is confident that the Federal Public Defender Office for the Districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island will continue to respond expertly to the needs of the defense community and the federal courts."