SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County has appointed a lawyer to serve as interim chief public defender and oversee the county's public defender office.

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The county also plans to expand the system with or without the help of a state grant.

Richard Dulany Jr., an appellate public defender, accepted the county's offer for the position, which pays a salary of $80,736, this week. The move comes one week after the Express-News reported that the county was violating state law by leaving the chief public defender position vacant since 2011.

“It was important that we have a chief,” said Seth Mitchell, assistant to the county manager, during a meeting of an oversight board that will hire and fire the permanent chief and have other responsibilities.

Mitchell declined to comment further after the meeting adjourned.

For years, attorneys that work for the county and represent those too poor to pay for their own defense in appellate and mental health cases have lacked a chief, a violation of state law.

Recently, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff directed county staff to find ways to revamp the indigent defense system, which largely depends on court-appointed lawyers assigned through a random selection process referred to as “the wheel.”

County staff opted to add two trial attorneys and one mental health attorney, and sought a grant from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission to help pay for the expansion.

Dulany and others voiced concerns about the lack of a chief, and he said he met with County Manager David Smith this week to discuss the interim position.

“I was reluctant,” Dulany said, “but it was a really positive conversation. He was very supportive.” He'll serve until a permanent chief is appointed but will take off about six weeks in August for paternity leave.

The TIDC was set to vote on Bexar County's grant request Friday, but Bexar County has asked the commission to defer decision on the grant until August. Dulany said the delay is because there were doubts that the grant application would have been approved.

Now, Mitchell said, the county will include funding in next year's budget - which will be adopted in August - for the expansion.

emoravec@express-news.net

Twitter: @EvaRuth