Cohilas among Deal appointments

ALBANY — Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas, a partner in the Albany-based Watson Spence LLC law firm, has been appointed to the Georgia Public Defenders Standards Council by Gov. Nathan Deal.

The Georgia Public Defenders Standards Council (GPDSC) is an independent agency within the judicial branch of state government created under the Georgia Indigent Defense Act of 2003.

The office is responsible for assuring that adequate and effective legal representation is provided to Georgia’s citizens, independent of political considerations or private interests. GPDSC sets professional standards and provides administrative support for the 49 defender circuit offices in Georgia.

According to Cohilas, the appointment by Deal was a complete surprise and a “huge honor.”

“This thing came totally out of the blue,” Cohilas said. “I received a call from the governor’s office asking me if I would consider the appointment, and I jumped at the opportunity. Without adequate public defenders, you get a lot of reversals. So it is very important to have a standards council to oversee that and make sure that the Public Defender system is providing appropriate and constitutional defense afforded all citizens in a timely and efficient manor.

“This is a huge honor to be asked or even considered to provide this public service.”