‘The Face of Justice’: Retiring Public Defender Director Mary Fox named Woman of the Year

Mary Fox is described by her peers as being the “face of justice.” Missouri Lawyers Media agrees and has named her Woman of the Year for 2025. 

Fox has served as the director of the Missouri Public Defender’s system since 2020. Beginning in 2007 and prior to her appointment, she served as the district defender for the St. Louis City Trial Office. In the 1980s she was an assistant public defender in the Clayton and St. Louis City Trial offices, according to MSPD.

Additionally, Fox practiced family and juvenile law and serviced as the traffic commissioner for St. Louis County. Fox obtained her law degree from Saint Louis University.

She is set to retire later this year.

During her tenure as director, Fox has strongly opposed the death penalty and advocated for the abolition of flat fees, significantly expanded the office’s number of fulltime staff and is developing a holistic legal services division to reduce recidivism and better assist clients.

“She has been successful at getting the governor’s and the legislature’s ear about more funding for public defenders,” Susan Block of Paule Camazine and Blumenthal said of Fox. “Her face is the face of justice.”

Fortuitous internship

Fox said lawyering as a career wasn’t something that was on her radar. Then came peer pressure.

“A bunch of friends were going to law school, and I was working in a job that I enjoyed, but didn’t see as a career and so I decided to give law school a try,” Fox said. “Once I got into law school, I didn’t like law school either. In my third year, I did an internship with the public defender system, and that is what I realized was what I wanted to do and I’ve happy doing it, or similar things, ever since.”

Fox said her favorite aspect of her career is connecting with clients.

“What I have always enjoyed more than anything is the relationship with the clients, getting to know the clients, getting to know what it is that I can help them with and helping them understand the system that they are involved in,” she said.

Helping clients is the aspect that unites her two career paths as a juvenile/family law attorney and public defender.

“At the time, when I was in juvenile court, I was representing parents who were facing the loss of the custody of their children because of allegations of abuse and neglect,” Fox said. “So, it’s not dissimilar to public defense work. In many states, the public defender systems actually handle those cases. In Missouri, we do not.”

Fox’s tenure as director of MSPD has changed the entire system for the better.

This program connects clients with necessary services in an effort to reduce recidivism. However, the program not only combats recidivism it also works to improve public health and public safety in Missouri, Fox said.

The Missouri Public Defender system, like most public defender systems, is understaffed. One of the factors contributing to this problem is the lack of attorneys who are willing to practice in rural areas.

“We’re always looking at ways to recruit people to come to those areas and the holistic Defense Initiative is part of that program. As a public defender, if you have a client and you represent them on their criminal case and you have a positive outcome, but you see that client come back in a year, or two years, or even five years, it sort of takes some of the sweetness of the success away because no one addressed the underlying issue that brought that person into contact with the criminal legal system,” Fox said. “So, we are hoping to help attorneys feel more successful in their role by not only providing them with the litigation skills and opportunities to win their cases but also helping them be able to connect their clients to what they need, so that they do not become clients again.”

The most common need that goes unmet for clients is mental illness, including substance abuse issues, Fox said.

“I think in 20-30 years we’re going to ask ourselves, ‘Why did we prosecute people because they had an illness?’ And that is what is happening right now,” Fox said. “We’re prosecuting people because they have the illness of substance use disorder, but they have some other illness, and a symptom of that illness is behavior that is not consistent with our laws. So, when we connect folks to substance use disorder treatment, or mental health treatment, we see that that makes a significant difference.”

Caroline Hermeling, a partner with Husch Blackwell, said Fox is a source of inspiration for her.

“She is somebody who has walked the walk of justice for decades in an area that is not given enough funding, is not given enough respect, is not given enough recognition,” Hermeling said.

Despite being a beacon of justice for others, the question of what “justice” means remains open for Fox.

“What I do know is that locking people up for years is not justice. And I do know that charging those who come in contact with the criminal system for the cost of the criminal system is not justice. I wonder if we did not have so many fees and costs connected with that system that are paid for by the criminal defendant litigants, whether or not there would be as much prosecution as there is,” Fox said. “So, I’m still looking for justice.”

Block has lived in the same neighborhood as Fox for years and described her as someone with a very good sense of humor who had a knack for captivating jurors and connecting with people.

“She believes very strongly in the tenant that everyone deserves a lawyer.” Block said. “Her victories in getting more funding really have provided new hope for citizens of our state.”

Overall, Block described Fox as being very understated and not seeking recognition for the work that she does.

“She really cares about her staff,” Block said. “She’s not looking for the limelight. She’s really looking for representation for people who can’t afford it who are charged with serious crimes.”

As her retirement looms, Fox’s advice to her successor is simple: “Enjoy the job and create relationships that allow you to advocate for the public defense system and for our clients.”