There is a Board of Trustees of the Office of the Public Defender. The Board of Trustees consists of 13 members. Each member of the Board of Trustees shall be a resident of the State. 11 members of the Board of Trustees shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate and shall include a representative of each judicial circuit of the State. All members of the Board of Trustees shall be active attorneys admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Maryland. One member shall be appointed by the President of the Senate. One member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates. Each member appointed to the Board of Trustees shall: have significant experience in criminal defense or other matters relevant to the work of the Board of Trustees; or have demonstrated a strong commitment to quality representation of indigent defendants, including juvenile respondents. A member of the Board of Trustees may not be: a current member or employee of: the Judicial Branch; or a law enforcement agency in the State; or a State’s Attorney of a county or municipal corporation of the State; the Attorney General of Maryland; or the State Prosecutor. The term of an appointed member of the Board of Trustees is 3 years. The terms of appointed members are staggered as required by the terms provided for members of the Board of Trustees on October 1, 2010. A vacancy occurring on the Board of Trustees during the term of a member shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the same manner as provided for appointments in this section. At the end of a term a member continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies. A member whose term has expired may be reappointed to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees annually shall elect a chair from among its members. The chair shall preside over and represent the interests of the Board of Trustees in carrying out this title. Seven members of the Board of Trustees are a quorum. The Board of Trustees shall hold at least one regular annual meeting at a time and place that the chair designates. Additional meetings shall be held as necessary and may be called on notice by the chair or at the request of at least two members of the Board of Trustees. A member of the Board of Trustees: may not receive compensation for serving on the Board of Trustees; but is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget.

The Board of Trustees shall: study and observe the operation of the Office; coordinate the activities of the regional advisory boards; and advise the Public Defender on panels of attorneys, fees, and other matters about the operation of the public defender system.

There are four regional advisory boards of the Office. Each regional advisory board consists of five members appointed by the Governor. Of the four regional advisory boards: the first shall advise public defender districts one, eight, and nine, which encompass Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Harford County; the second shall advise public defender districts two and three, which encompass Caroline County, Cecil County, Dorchester County, Kent County, Queen Anne’s County, Somerset County, Talbot County, Wicomico County, and Worcester County; the third shall advise public defender districts four, five, and seven, which encompass Anne Arundel County, Calvert County, Charles County, Prince George’s County, and St. Mary’s County; and the fourth shall advise public defender districts six, ten, eleven, and twelve, which encompass Allegany County, Carroll County, Frederick County, Garrett County, Howard County, Montgomery County, and Washington County. Each member of a regional advisory board shall be: a resident of a district represented by that regional advisory board; and a judge of a circuit court; a judge of the District Court; or an active attorney admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Maryland. The term of a member of a regional advisory board is 3 years. A vacancy occurring on a regional advisory board during the term of a member shall be filled by the Governor for the remainder of the unexpired term. The Governor shall annually designate a chair of each regional advisory board from among the members of that regional advisory board. The chair shall preside over and represent the interests of that regional advisory board in carrying out this title. Three members of a regional advisory board are a quorum. Each regional advisory board shall hold at least one regular annual meeting at a time and place that the chair designates. Additional meetings may be called: on notice by the chair; on notice by the Public Defender; on notice by the district public defender from a district represented by that regional advisory board; or at the request of at least three members of the regional advisory board. A member of a regional advisory board: may not receive compensation for serving on the regional advisory board; but is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget.

Each regional advisory board shall: study and observe the operation of district public defender offices; and advise the Public Defender and district public defenders on panels of attorneys, fees, and other matters about the operation of district public defender offices and the public defender system.