A 15-year veteran of Arlington’s public defender’s office is now tasked with leading it.
Allison Carpenter has been named the new chief public defender for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, she confirmed to ARLnow on Tuesday.
Carpenter, 43, will oversee roughly a dozen attorneys in the office that, according to internal data, handles roughly 2,500 cases annually — a majority of the criminal docket.
She replaces Brad Haywood, who stepped down earlier this month after seven years in the role. His last day was Dec. 2.
“Aly is easily one of the toughest, most driven people I’ve ever known,” Haywood said. “She’s deeply committed to social justice in our community, she’s an incredibly skilled litigator and trial attorney, and she does it all without ever asking for attention or accolades.”
Since 2019, Carpenter has been second-in-command as the office’s deputy public defender, according to her LinkedIn page. She joined the office as a senior assistant public defender in December 2009.
Earlier this year, Carpenter was named an Influential Woman of Law by Virginia Lawyers Weekly, a Richmond-based legal publication.
“I’m thrilled she was chosen as chief, and look forward to seeing what the future holds for our office and our courthouse under her leadership,” Haywood added.
At the local level, Carpenter was appointed to the county’s Police Practices Work Group as the chair of the Traffic Subcommittee in 2020.
She also works as a clinical lecturer at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, a job she began in 2021.
Before becoming a public defender, Carpenter spent a year as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, based in Pittsburgh.
A 2003 graduate of Georgetown University, Carpenter obtained her juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008.
