We wish we were singing Hello Dolly but, as you may have heard, Dolly Whiteside, longtime Chief Special Counsel with the Office of Indigent Defense Services (IDS) retired on March 31 after FORTY-THREE YEARS of public service. In her work, Dolly focused primarily on civil commitment, incompetency, and guardianship matters. She has been a tireless advocate, not only for the people whose lives are at stake in those proceedings, but also for the hardworking and dedicated attorneys who represent them. Dolly has been a valued partner to our Public Defense Education team at the School of Government, always willing to lend her expertise and insight when answering legal questions and collaborating on countless educational programs over the years. We will miss her tremendously. Dolly, enjoy retirement—you have more than earned it—but please come back and say Hello.

As sad as we are to see Dolly go, we are equally excited about the appointment of Chad Perry as Chief Special Counsel at IDS. Chad spent close to a decade working as an assistant public defender in Durham County, where he represented clients charged with misdemeanors and felonies as well as clients in civil commitment and youth drug treatment courts. Chad also served as an attorney with the Office of the Inspector General and with the Social Security Administration’s Appeals Council. Most recently, Chad represented respondents in commitment hearings in Wake County for the Office of Special Counsel.

Chad is the proud father of four kids—all boys, all under 12!—and enjoys fishing, sports, and writing historical fiction. Chad had this to say about his new position: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve the community and the Office of Indigent Defense Services as Chief Special Counsel. Many community members are struggling with mental impairments, now more than ever, and our office will continue to provide zealous advocacy with a compassionate touch to protect the rights of our clients.”

We look forward to Chad’s leadership and working with the Office of Special Counsel and him on the creation of educational resources for the devoted attorneys who do the hard work of public defense.

You may reach Chad at j.c.perry@nccourts.org.