Patrice Fulcher, Director of Training and Program Development (Leadership Team)
Patrice A. Fulcher is a distinguished trainer, law professor, author, thought leader, and litigator with over 30 years of experience challenging systemic inequality and defending the rights of the marginalized. Her career has been dedicated to building values-based training programs for public defenders, mentoring future legal advocates, and supporting organizations committed to justice and systemic reform. Known for her unwavering encouragement and deep knowledge of the criminal legal system, Patrice is a trusted leader and advocate.
As the former Director of Training for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (MOPD), Patrice led the Training Division for more than a decade. Under her leadership, MOPD launched the nation’s first in-state Gideon’s Promise, Inc., certified new hire attorney training program. She designed and delivered comprehensive in-person and virtual training for more than 1,500 employees, spearheaded the Justice 4 All Annual Conference, contributed to the agency’s strategic planning, developed continuing legal education (CLE) standards, and played a pivotal role in building and managing a state-of-the-art training facility.
Prior to her tenure at MOPD, Patrice made history as the first Black woman to earn tenure as an Associate Professor at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Her scholarship focused on the Prison Industrial Complex, including prison privatization, labor exploitation, and profiteering from mass incarceration. She has also written and lectured on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the legacy of landmark Civil Rights cases, systemic racism, client-centered advocacy, narrative techniques for defenders, and the importance of empathy and psychological safety in legal workplaces.
Patrice’s litigation career includes serving as a Senior Staff Attorney with the Georgia Capital Defender, the Fulton County Public Defender, and the Fulton County Conflict Defender. She represented clients in capital and serious felony cases, and earlier in her career, she worked with the DeKalb County Juvenile Court advocating for abused and neglected children, and with the Southern Center for Human Rights challenging unconstitutional jail conditions.
A founding Core Faculty Member of Gideon’s Promise, Inc., Patrice also serves on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College and the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop. She has trained defenders across the country through engagements with organizations including the Public Defender Service for D.C., the Kentucky Death Penalty Institute, the Mississippi State Public Defender, the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD), the ABA/NACDL National Defender Training Program, NLADA, the Black Public Defender Association, and the Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit. She has also presented for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Patrice holds a J.D. from Emory University School of Law and a B.A. from Howard University. She is licensed to practice in Georgia and Maryland. Outside of her professional accomplishments, Patrice is a devoted wife and the proud mother of two adult children.