Randolph Marshall Lee was sworn in on January 2, 2024, as the inaugural Chief Public Defender for the new 30th Defender District.
The Honorable Jonathan W. Perry, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for the 30th Judicial District, administered the oath of office at the Union County courthouse. Defender District 30 was created in 2023 by the North Carolina General Assembly.
Lee’s wife, Jessica Smith Lee, held the Bible for the swearing in ceremony.
Lee is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina. He completed undergraduate and law studies at Wake Forest University, and he holds an LLM (Master of Laws degree) from The George Washington University. While attending law school, he was on law review.
Lee was a Captain in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. He has served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, counsel in the Office of the Chair for the National Labor Relations Board, counsel in the Office of the Vice Chair for the Interstate Commerce Commission and has been in private practice since 1992. For the past several decades, his practice has been focused upon criminal defense work—federal and state; retained and appointed.
“It is an honor to have been chosen by Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Jonathan W. Perry to be the first Public Defender of Union County,” said Lee, whose appointment was backed by a unanimous vote of the Union County Bar Association. “I look forward to working with the judges and prosecutors as they all strive to meet their respective constituents’ rights, provided to all citizens, by our constitutional provisions and laws.”
Lee currently resides in Wesley Chapel, a town in Union County, with his wife.