He may be one of the most hated men in America. But Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is getting legal counsel from an office led by one of the nation's most respected public defenders, Miriam Conrad.

Ms. Conrad's team includes William W. Fick, who was present when U.S. prosecutors charged Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with carrying out one of the Boston Marathon bombings during what's known as a first-appearance hearing.

The...