LAWRENCE M. SULLIVAN, PUBLIC DEFENDER OF DELAWARE
Lawrence Matthew Sullivan has served as Delaware's Public Defender since 1970.
Larry is a lifelong resident of Delaware, born to the late James E. and Teresa Haggerty Sullivan. Married to Catherine Durkin Sullivan, he is the father of three children, Lawrence M. Sullivan, Jr, John L. Sullivan, and Catherine Sullivan Horner.
Larry graduated from Salesianum School in 1955, King's College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy in 1959, and Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in Washington D.C., with a Juris Doctor Degree in 1964. While in law school, he was elected President of the Student Bar Association, Chairman of the University’s Republican Club and Vice-Chairman of the Moot Court Board of Governors. During his time at law school he also served with the Delaware National Guard. He began practicing law in 1965.
In 1966, he was elected New Castle County Register of Wills and served until 1970.
Since 1970, Larry has been appointed and re-appointed Public Defender of Delaware to six terms by five different Governors, both Democratic and Republican.
In 2005 Larry received the Vision Award from the International Association of Forensic Nurses. In 2006 he received the Charles H. Dorsey Jr. Award for excellence from the American Bar Association and the Reginald Heber Smith Award for excellence from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. He is listed in Marquis “Who’s Who in American Law. In addition to being Public Defender, Larry has the following Legal Affiliations and Criminal Justice experience:
- Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Delaware (since 1965)
- Admitted to practice before the Federal District Court of Delaware (since 1966)
- Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States (since 1991)
- Member of the American Bar Association (since 1965)
- Member of the Delaware Bar Association (since 1965)
- Mortgage Commissioner for New Castle County (1964-1966)
- Assistant Attorney for New Castle County (1966-1967)
- Instructor of Business Law at Brandywine College (1967-1968)
- Register of Wills for New Castle County (1967-1970)
- Associate Professor of Real Estate Law, Wilmington College (1968-1977)
- Co-author of the college textbook entitled Delaware Fundamentals of Real Estate Practice, published by the University of Delaware Press (1970)
- Appointed Public Defender by Governor Russell Peterson (R) (1970)
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council 1970-present
- Member of the Delaware Supreme Court's Long Range Court's Planning Committee (1971-1975)
- Member of Superior Court's Speedy Trial Committee (1971-1978)
- Member of the Delaware Agency to Reduce Crime (1971-1984)
- Member of the Governor's Crime Reduction Task Force (1972-1974)
- Member of the American Arbitration Association since (1973- 1985)
- Member of the Delaware Court's Planning Committee
- Member of the Gander Hill Oversight Committee
- Adjunct Professor of Real Estate Law, Delaware Technical & Community College (1976-1978)
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council’s Case Tracking Committee
- Reappointed Public Defender by Governor Pierre S. duPont (1977)
- Member of the Sentencing Reform Committee
- Member of the Sentencing Accountability Commission
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council’s Drug Planning Committee
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council’s Drug Abuse Coordinating Council
- Adjunct Professor of Real Estate Law, Delaware State College (1977-1979)
- Reappointed Public Defender by Governor Pierre S, duPont (R) (1983)
- Member of the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association (since 1984)
- Member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (since 1984)
- Vice Chairman of the Criminal Justice Council (since 1985)
- Vice Chairman of the Criminal Justice Council Executive Committee (since 1985)
- Chairman of the Criminal Justice Council Videophone Committee (since 1987)
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council Automated Sentencing Committee
- Reappointed Public Defender by Governor Michael N. Castle (R) (1991)
- Chairman of the Criminal Justice Council’s Byrne Grant Funding Committee
- Member of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council Reorganization Committee
- Member of Supreme Court's Planning Committee (1993)
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council’s Detention Review Committee
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council’s Ferris School Restructuring Plan and Oversight Committee
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council’s Dispositional Guidelines for Juveniles Committee
- Reappointed Public Defender by Governor Thomas Carper (D) (1998)
- Member of the Criminal Justice Council’s Law Enforcement Review Committee
- Member of Supreme Court's Commission on Delaware Courts 2000
- Chairman of the Criminal Justice Council’s Mental Health Court Committee
- Reappointed Public Defender by Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D) 2005)
- Chairman of the Criminal Justice Council’s Drugs and Violent Crimes Committee
