Ionia County Public Defender

04/30/2026

Thank you to one of our Winter Semester interns Maija for a great semester. Good luck with the rest of your academic and legal careers ahead of you.

03/23/2026

Our office is hiring for an Assistant Public Defender - here is a link to the county website for more information, or feel free to contact our office at (616) 527-8242 for more information.

Full Time Public Defender Licensed for less than four years: $76,693.50 – $93,912. Licensed for more than four years: $84,981 – $103,506. Ionia County is seeking a dedicated and skilled Public Defender to join our legal team. The ideal candidate will be passionate about providing quality legal r...

02/23/2026

Next week Friday February 27th is bigger than a meeting. It’s information that can change the direction of someone’s life.

We’re excited to welcome Walt Downes, Chief Public Defender of Ionia County, to Sober Not Boring and Outreach 419 to talk about expungement and what’s actually possible when it comes to clearing your record.

Here’s why this matters:

A criminal record can quietly block jobs, housing, loans, professional licenses, even volunteer opportunities. A lot of people don’t even realize they may qualify for relief. Expungement can mean better employment, restored confidence, and a real shot at rebuilding.

And even if you’re not justice-involved… most of us know someone who is. A son. A daughter. A friend. A partner. Being informed means you can point someone toward hope instead of guessing.

This is a rare opportunity to ask real questions to someone who works inside the system every day.

🕠 Dinner at 5:30
🎤 Walt takes the stage at 6:15
💬 Q&A + open share meeting to close
🔔 And we’ll ring the church bell for sobriety milestones!!

Recovery isn’t just about staying sober. It’s about restoring lives.

Show up. Bring your questions. Bring a friend. Let’s learn something that could unlock doors. Put this one on your calendar!

235 W Fenwick Rd
Fenwick, MI 48834

01/02/2026

Thanks to our Fall Semester intern Emma (MSU) for a great job in our office - and thank you for even taking on extra hours during the semester to help our office and our clients. We appreciated all of your hard work here. Best wishes with the remainder of your academic and legal careers!

08/19/2025

Thank you to our summer intern Luci (GVSU) for service above and beyond filling in to cover for an intern who was unable to maintain her commitment to our internship program. So Luci was in our office full time for most of her summer. We thank you so much for your extra time with us. Best wishes on the rest of your academic and legal career ahead of you!

06/27/2025

Thank you Cheyenne, who was one of our summer semester interns! Best of luck with the remainder of your future legal education and career! We know you will have a successful career!

05/28/2025

Congrats to our former intern Jordan Miletti being admitted to the State Bar of Michigan! We know you will have an amazing legal career ahead of you. Congrats on all your hard work!

05/28/2025

Welcome to our new Assistant Public Defender Cindy Pham - so glad to have you in the office as part of our team!

04/12/2025

Thank you to our Winter Semester interns Abbey (MSU), Emilee (GVSU) and Eva (MSU) who will be missed. We know that all three will have amazing legal careers ahead.

12/18/2024

A huge thank you to our amazing fall semester interns Jubilee and Sydney, both from Michigan State University. We really appreciate your participation in our internship program. We know that both of you have a successful legal career in your futures. Thanks again!

10/17/2024

Our office just received information that someone is using our office name calling individuals asking for them to accept a collect call from our office. DO NOT ACCEPT THIS COLLECT CALL. It is a scam of some form. Our office does not call individuals using any type of collect call arrangement ever! If you do receive such a collect call, please call law enforcement immediately and provide them as much information as possible about the call.

As a further reminder, always be safe with your personal identification information, and do not provide any information to someone you do not know.