Her legacy was preserved with the presentation of the North Carolina Judicial Branch’s top award. In her wake, she leaves sweeping accomplishments and fresh opportunities for the Office of Indigent Defense Services (IDS) that will continue to impact the future of public defense for years to come. The lives she has touched (through six years of service, leadership and having a heart for the work) are no doubt grateful … and forever changed.
NC AOC Director Ryan Boyce expressed gratitude to Mary for her service, creative approach to problem solving and for her persistence and personable approach to work that needed to be done at the General Assembly. He said, “Mary, thank you, not just for your great work, but for the nature in which you went about that work. From COVID to digital transformations to just running things day to day, we always had challenges, but there was nothing you and I couldn’t solve… So, thank you for that. Thank you for being a strong advocate at the General Assembly. It made our jobs easier to have an IDS director that the members not just liked, but trusted. And so that’s really how you all were able to secure all these legislative and budget victories over the years. So, thank you for spending the time down there and just not being afraid to educate members, especially some who try to stay out of courthouses and on how the judicial system works. So, we appreciate you. We’re going to miss you, and we hope you enjoy your knitting as much as we enjoyed our time together.” 
On behalf of the Chief Public Defenders in North Carolina, NCAPD President Woodrena Baker-Harrell presented Mary with a gift card to The Umstead for some relaxation and quality spa time. She said, “I just want to say personally, thank you for the phone conversations when I’ve called you and asked you for help. You’ve always been there. But on behalf of all the chiefs, we would like to say thank you for your years of dedicated service and for helping to improve the public defense system.” 
IDS Commission Chair Bryan Jones expressed sincere gratitude to Mary for her service. “I just want to let you know, Mary, that you are someone who I aspire to be like. The way you treat people and the way you respect others is just something that is so admirable and one of your greatest qualities and also the reason why I really look up to you, so I just want to let you know that.” 
State Capital Defender Robert E. Sharpe, Jr., presented Mary with the Duane K. Bryant Capital Defenders Award just before the business of the commission meeting got underway. He said he was not on the agenda, but it just would not be “right” unless he interrupted the meeting! 
Following Mary’s final remarks as executive director, and the appointment of Whitney B. Fairbanks as the new IDS executive director, IDS Commission meeting attendees posed for a photo with Mary before she departed from her final meeting as agency leader, and prepared for leisurely morning walks, seven day weekends and extensive travel.
RALEIGH — On August 7, Mary Shehan Pollard retired from her role as Executive Director for Indigent Defense Services. Pollard spent six years at the helm of the agency responsible for overseeing and enhancing legal representation for indigent defendants and others entitled to counsel under North Carolina law.
Pollard, a Wake Forest Law graduate, was handling civil litigation with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, when then IDS Director Tye Hunter asked her to accept Alan Gell’s capital post-conviction case.
Pollard’s direction shifted to post-conviction after Gell’s eventual acquittal, leading her to work as a staff attorney with the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, the Executive Director for North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, and eventually to Indigent Defense Services.
“Does everyone have the resources they need for the best defense if charged with a crime?” With that question always in mind, Pollard went to work improving the system. Leading staff she trusted not only to identify problems but to come up with solutions, Pollard made significant gains in public defense during her tenure. Pollard secured public defender expansion (8 new offices in 2024 and 1 in 2026), prioritized the modernization of attorney payments, and secured sufficient funding to increase all rates paid to private assigned counsel.
During the August 7 IDS Commission Meeting, Chief Justice Newby presented her with the court’s highest honor, the Amicas Curie (or Friend of the Court) award. Established by Chief Justice Lake in 2005, the award is reserved for people who make truly extraordinary contributions to the judicial branch. Newby noted that Mary’s contribution went to the heart of the State Constitution’s guarantee that the courts will be open. “[I]t means access. Access to the court…That just speaks of Mary’s career from day one.”
Pollard will be missed but she leaves the public defense system and IDS on firm footing.
Public defenders do not (always) represent criminals; they represent people who make mistakes—often one mistake… And if a good, caring lawyer can represent someone who’s made some mistakes and gets them the best outcome possible, it can really make a difference on whether that person’s life gets back on track or … has repercussions that will last a lifetime… After all, we are all really just one poor decision away from needing an attorney. ~ Mary S. Pollard, March 2023