Office of the Appointed Counsel Commission Staff
Joseph K. Byrd
Executive Director
Prior to being named as the Executive Director of the Office of the Appointed Counsel Commission, Joe Byrd served as the Lead Attorney for the Indigent Services Team at the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). In that role, Mr. Byrd was part of a team that conducted extensive research on the provision of indigent services, and he gathered input from attorneys and judges across the state to develop the current plan to address challenges with the provision of indigent services. He was named as Interim Executive Director of the ACC and is responsible for the strategic implementation of the agency.
He is licensed to practice in Tennessee, Michigan, and Florida, and in both state and federal courts. Prior to joining the AOC, he was an Assistant Attorney General in Tennessee, Disciplinary Counsel at the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, County Attorney for Bradley County, Tennessee, City Attorney for Apopka, Florida, a solo practitioner in Tennessee and Michigan, and a law firm associate at Logan Thompson, PC. His private practice involved a broad general practice and included representing indigent parties as appointed counsel in criminal defense and child welfare matters.
Brandi L. Murrell
Deputy Divisional Counsel
Brandi L. Murrell is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, and has been a practicing attorney since 2011. Prior to attending law school, she worked in the college and university setting and earned her Master’s Degree in higher education.
Prior to joining the Office of the Appointed Counsel Commission, she practiced primarily in the areas of criminal defense and child welfare law throughout East Tennessee, and has extensive experience in representing indigent clients as appointed counsel throughout her legal career. Her criminal defense litigation experience includes representing adult and juvenile clients at all stages of criminal cases from arraignment through appeal, including jury trials. Her child welfare litigation experience includes serving as a Guardian ad Litem and representing parents in proceedings in Juvenile Court from initial appearances through termination proceedings.
G. Matthew Roberts
Deputy Divisional Counsel
G. Matthew Roberts earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Lincoln Memorial University in December 2011 and a Juris Doctor from Charlotte School of Law in May 2015. He was admitted to practice law in Tennessee in October 2015.
After beginning his career as a solo practitioner handling primarily court-appointed criminal defense cases, he joined the Office of the Public Defender for the 8th Judicial District in November 2018. During his career, he has represented hundreds of clients in all levels of felony and misdemeanor cases across all five counties of the district, gaining extensive courtroom and trial experience, including serious and complex matters.
J. Christopher stiles
Deputy Divisional Counsel
Chris Stiles is a 2015 graduate of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphries School of Law. He is licensed to practice in Tennessee courts and the Eastern (Federal) District Court of Tennessee.
Prior to joining the Office of the Appointed Counsel Commission, Chris owned his own law firm and practiced throughout Southeast Tennessee. He has spent the majority of his legal career representing clients on matters including criminal defense, youth defense, child support contempt, judicial hospitalization, termination of parental rights, and child welfare cases involving allegations of dependency and neglect.
Misty N. Buck
Deputy Divisional Counsel
Misty N. Buck is a licensed Tennessee attorney and a graduate of East Tennessee State University, where she earned her undergraduate degree, and the Nashville School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor.
She has practiced law since 2007, with experience in criminal defense, child welfare, juvenile law, and civil litigation. Prior to joining the Office of the Appointed Counsel Commission, she practiced as a solo attorney throughout East Tennessee and later served as an Assistant Public Defender in the First Judicial District. Throughout her career, she has built substantial courtroom and litigation experience representing indigent clients through all phases of litigation, including dependency and neglect, termination of parental rights, juvenile delinquency and unruly proceedings, adoptions, and complex criminal matters.