He defended Columbus area residents unable to afford a lawyer. Robert Wadkins Sr. dies

Robert “Bob” Wadkins Sr., who was the first chief public defender in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, has died.

Wadkins, 79, died Thursday at Piedmont Columbus Regional’s midtown hospital. The cause of death was complications from a respiratory infection, his son, Robert Wadkins Jr., told the Ledger-Enquirer..

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Legislation during the 2003 Georgia General Assembly created regional public defender offices to pay attorneys market rates for providing legal representation to indigent defendants who couldn’t afford to pay their own lawyer.

Wadkins served the Columbus area in that position until he retired in 2013 to go into practice with his son.

Unanimous selection

Two years after the state law was passed to create the public defender’s office, U.S Magistrate Judge Stephen Hyles chaired the committee that picked Wadkins from 12 applicants to run the first judicial circuit public defender office, back in 2003 when Georgia was trying to balance the scales of justice that left indigent defendants at a disadvantage.

The committee chose Wadkins unanimously, Hyles said.

Public defenders don’t win a lot of cases, and the committee knew it needed someone who could “try a case and lead a team and keep morale high,” he said.

“You don’t get a lot of happy endings,” Hyles said. “The need to instill morale in your team was absolutely essential, and Bob Wadkins could do it, and did it.”

Wadkins’ humor, confidence and no-nonsense approach to criminal defense made him more than adequate for the work he faced, Hyles said. “Bob brought something extra into the equation.”

Retired chief assistant public defender Steve Craft described what it was like to watch Wadkins defend his clients.

“When Bob came into the room, he filled up the room,” said Craft, who knew Wadkins for about 30 years. “I mean, he took over the room. He owned it. He had a sharp wit. He could be funny. He could be dead serious.

Wadkins had a varied experience before becoming a lawyer, from attending the Juilliard School of Music (as a baritone voice major) to joining the U.S. Army and serving as an infantry engineer in the Vietnam War, where he was wounded three times. And he brought that talent and bravery to the courtroom.

“He actually sang a closing argument one time,” Craft said. “That’s the kind of presence he had.”

And when it was time to be tough, Wadkins welcomed the challenge.

“He never backed down from a fight,” Craft said. “He never was afraid to speak his mind – in the courtroom or outside the courtroom. He said what needed to be said and did what needed to be done.”

Passion for defending clients

The same passion Wadkins had for defending his clients enabled him to lead the public defender’s office.

“He built the office from scratch,” Craft said. “He brought several other lawyers in. He built the program from nothing to now one of the largest circuits in the state.”

Wadkins was an admired and appreciated leader in that office.

“Being a public defender is a grind,” Craft said. “It will wear you down, but he had the ability to encourage and motivate people and keep the morale up and do all the things to keep the office moving. He could mentor young lawyers in a way that helped them see the big picture and become better lawyers, and he helped one or two lawyers realize they maybe should do something other than public defense.”

Wadkins considered being a public defender a sacred trust.

“He wanted people to be treated right in court,” Craft said. “The system at the time really wasn’t doing that. He wanted everybody to play by the rules and give defendants a fair shake in court. He believed in the system and wanted to make it work.

“Bob always had a sense of commitment. … He always worked to improve himself and those around them. When you have that commitment, you’re just driven to give to the community you’re in.”