The Kanawha County Public Defender Office's new location is just a few blocks away from where it had been for nearly 30 years.
But it was a tough move, said Chief Public Defender Diana Panucci, who heads the office.
"We got through it," Panucci said last week. "Everybody really had to pitch in."
Attorneys are settled in to their new digs on the third floor of the Leighton Building, located at 816 Quarrier St.
Getting into the building doesn't require walking up stairs, unlike at the Union Building on Kanawha Boulevard, where the office had been housed since it opened in 1989.
"This is much more handicapped accessible," Panucci said.
It's also close to a KRT bus stop and not far from the Transit Mall.
"We're happy to still be downtown," she said.
Attorneys in the office represent people with low incomes who have been charged with a crime.
In the Union Building, attorneys' offices were spread out between four different floors, making it hard for clients to figure out where to go first to check in. At the new location, when the elevator stops on the third floor, there's a reception area.
"At the Union Building, people would be walking up and down the hallways wondering where they were supposed to be," Panucci said.
The Public Defender Office has 22 full-time lawyers, who all have their own offices at the new location.
"It's set up more like a law office. There's a place to check-in. It's just more cohesive and allows us to be closer together," she said.
This building is also old but its been updated, Panucci said.
Plus, now if the elevator breaks down, it's only a matter of taking the steps to the third floor rather than the ninth. (That happened last year for several weeks, Panucci recalled.)
The new office is also about the same distance from the courthouse. That was important when deciding on a new place to rent, Panucci said.
"One thing we don't have is the great views of the river. I know people miss those views, but generally everyone seems pretty pleased," Panucci said. "Here, we are better suited to serve the needs of our clients."
Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.
