Following his appointment by members of the Cache County Council, local attorney Mike McGinnis (right) will supervise Cache County’s team of public defenders.
CACHE COUNTY – Local attorney Michael C. McGinnis has been selected as the new manager of Cache County’s public defenders.
McGinnis’ appointment was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the members of the Cache County Council during their regular meeting Tuesday.
While attorneys who provide public/indigent defense in Cache County have traditionally been hired on a contract basis, Cache County Executive David Zook explained that the County Council recently agreed to provide resources to hire a full-time manager for their efforts.
After six years as one of the county’s part-time public defenders, Zook said recent interviews demonstrated that McGinnis was the best qualified candidate to administer the public defense office.
A native of Las Vegas, McGinnis graduated from Utah State University with an undergraduate degree in constitutional law in 2004. Four tears later, McGinnis completed studies at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University.
After completing a legal internship as a prosecutor in Cedar City and the State Bar Exam in 2009, McGinnis moved to Salt Lake City where he specialized in defending clients against Driving Under the Influence charges.
After practicing in the St. George area, McGinnis joined the Cache County public defense staff to provide legal counsel to defendants in 1st District Court in 2015.
“In the past,” Zook explained, “Mike has handled many high profile and serious cases in our community. He has a very broad and extensive background in every aspect of the criminal justice systerm.
“Additionally, Mile has argued numerous cases before the Utah Count of Appeals and been involved in the local drug court program.”
After his appointment was approved, McGinnis thanks the members of the county council and pledged to get to know each of them better in his new role as manager of public defenders.