16th Circuit Public Defender Office

The 16th Circuit Public Defender Office provides legal representation qualifying individuals charged with criminal offenses in York and Union County, S.C.  

Bryson J. Barrowclough

Bryson J. Barrowclough serves as the Chief Public Defender of the 16th Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office. He holds a Juris Doctorate from Boston College and a B.A. from the University of Virginia. He has been with the York County Public Defender Office since 1995 and was elected the South Carolina Public Defender of the Year in 2014. He has also served as a Prosecuting Attorney with the Luzerne County, PA, District Attorneys Office.

Melissa A. Inzerillio

Melissa A. Inzerillo serves as a Deputy Public Defender of the 16th Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office. She attended undergrad at the University of South Carolina and graduated in 1997. She also attended the Washington and Lee school of law and graduated in 2001. She has been with the York County Public Defender office since 2005 and has been a deputy public defender since January of 2020. She was also a public defender in Orangeburg and Charleston counties prior to working for York County.

Philip L. Smith

Philip Lee Smith serves as a Deputy Public Defender of the 16th Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office. He Attended undergrad at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and attended The University of South Carolina School of Law. He has been with the York County Public defender Office since_______ and has been a Deputy Public Defender since January of 2020. He was also a public defender in Richland County and a former prosecutor here in York County.



Apply for a Public Defender

If you are charged with a crime and cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for representation from the Public Defender's Office.
Applications for a Public Defender are accepted at the Clerk of Court's Office, also in the Moss Justice Center or at the Municipal or Magistrate Court that has jurisdiction of the charges. There is a non-refundable $40 fee to apply for a Public Defender.
For more information call the Public Defender's Office at 803-628-3031. You may reach the Clerk of Court's Office by calling 803-628-3036.

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