The North Carolina Indigent Defense Services (IDS) Commission announced today that it has appointed Chad Perry as chief special counsel. Perry is only the second person to be appointed as chief special counsel for North Carolina. He will fill the vacancy left by Dolly Whiteside who retired on April 1 after 40 years of distinguished service to her clients and to the State of North Carolina.

"The Commission would like to thank Ms. Whiteside for her four decades of outstanding service," said Judge Dorothy Hairston Mitchell, chair of the IDS Commission. "We look forward to working with Mr. Perry in his new role and are confident he will provide excellent leadership in this important role." 

Perry is a graduate of North Carolina Central University School of Law. Perry’s legal career includes serving as an assistant public defender in Durham County for eight years. As a public defender, he represented clients in both district and superior court in criminal proceedings. Additionally, he served clients in youth drug treatment court and was the sole attorney appointed to handle civil commitments in Durham County.

Perry once served as a senior attorney advisor for the Office of the Inspector General for Washington, D.C. investigating Medicaid fraud. He also worked as an attorney advisor for the Social Security Administration’s Appeals Council in Crystal City, Virginia. Perry taught as an adjunct professor at St. Augustine’s University. 

Prior to his appointment, Perry was employed by the Office of Special Counsel where he represented respondents in commitment hearings in Wake County. He currently resides in Raleigh with his wife and four children.

About Office of Special Counsel
In North Carolina, people facing involuntary commitment who cannot retain private counsel are represented by special counsel staff attorneys or by an appointed attorney. People facing involuntary commitment have a right to counsel because a commitment is a significant infringement on a person’s liberty interest. The Office of Special Counsel is responsible for ensuring that well-trained, qualified counsel are available to represent children and adults facing civil commitment.