For the first time, two of the top lawyers in Allegheny County government are Black women.
On Monday, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato appointed Lena Bryan-Henderson as the county’s chief public defender. She also nominated Rosalyn Guy-McCorkle for county solicitor.
Bryan-Henderson, who joined the public defender’s office in 1991, starts immediately. Guy-McCorkle requires approval by county council. She will serve in an acting capacity until council votes.
“Their combined decades of legal acumen and their demonstrated commitment to the people of Allegheny County is tremendous, and they will both be phenomenal additions to my administration,” Innamorato said in a news release.
https://twitter.com/ACE_Innamorato/status/1749480468418875668
Bryan-Henderson replaces Laura McWilliams, who served as chief deputy public defender since July when the former head of the office, Matt Dugan, left to run, unsuccessfully, for Allegheny County District Attorney.
Innamorato praised Bryan-Henderson for her “tireless representation of indigent clients” and said she has expertise in jury and non-jury trials, as well as in preparing motions, negotiating plea agreements and supervising trial attorneys.
During her time as an assistant public defender, Bryan-Henderson also operated a private criminal law practice. She is a board member for Reimagine Reentry and a member of Allegheny Lawyers Initiative for Justice.
She is also a founder and vice president of the Pittsburgh Black Lawyers Alliance, which addresses political and social issues, fosters mentorship and assists Black law students.
She earned her undergraduate degree from Howard University and her law degree from Duquesne University.
Guy-McCorkle previously served as as assistant county solicitor and supervised the unit that established and enforced child support.
She also maintained a private practice focusing on estate and probate law.
Guy-McCorkle has worked as a City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority hearing officer and a Pittsburgh Board of Education school code violation hearing officer. She teaches family law at Duquesne.
She earned her undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and her law degree from Ohio State University.
Guy-McCorkle, if confirmed, would replace George M. Janocsko, who took over as solicitor in July 2022.
