Attorneys and Staff

Nicole Sloane Kondrlik was appointed the Chief Public Defender of the Erie County Pennsylvania Office of the Public Defender in January 2022.  Her career in the office began in 2006 and she has represented consumers in over 4700 cases continuing to carry a caseload as Chief.   Attorney Sloane Kondrlik previously served in the capacity of Chief of the Appellate Division and First Assistant Public Defender.  She is a faculty member for the Public Defender’s Association annual statewide training and also prepares and presents continuing legal education classes for criminal law attorneys in Erie.  She represented the last three defendants facing the death penalty in Erie County.  In 2017, the Pennsylvania Public Defender Association awarded Attorney Sloane Kondrlik the Gideon Award during their annual meeting in Harrisburg in recognition of her dedication and zealous representation.  She serves as a Board member of both the Public Defender Association and Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Since assuming the responsibilities of Chief, Attorney Sloane Kondrlik has dedicated her time to representing seriously mentally ill consumers.  She also has redistributed caseloads to improve effective assistance of counsel.  Attorney Sloane Kondrlik continues to make changes to benefit Public Defender clients.

Attorney Sloane Kondrlik is an Army veteran having served first as an enlisted soldier before earning a regular Army commission.  She is airborne qualified.

In addition to serving Erie County as its Chief Public Defender, Attorney Sloane Kondrlik, her husband and family are proud to be farmers and raise crops as well as livestock in rural Erie County.

Attorney Michael DeJohn currently serves as the First Assistant Public Defender to Erie County, Pennsylvania.  He has worked as an Assistant Public Defender in both Erie and Crawford Counties since 2002.

He is a lifelong resident of Erie, Pennsylvania.  He graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School, obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Gannon University, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton – School of Law in 2000.  While in school, he was the Magister (President) of Phi Delta Phi, an International Honors Legal fraternity, and Vice President of the Criminal Law Association.

He is a former Prosecutor’s Aide, law clerk, and legal arbitrator.  Attorney DeJohn specializes in criminal cases and has handled over 8,000 cases at all stages within the past several decades.  He is a skilled trial lawyer and is in a courtroom nearly every day.  He is the former Chair of the Criminal Defense Section of the Erie County Bar Association (2022).  He is also a licensed and commissioned Notary Public (since 2008).

Outside of work, Attorney DeJohn is involved as a Board Member and Treasurer of the Erie Free Store, Inc., Attorneys & Kids Together Mentoring Program (since 2007), Former Lay Leader of Koinonia of Erie County, and Scouts BSA Troop 61 Treasurer and Pack 61 Den Leader.  He is an avid guitar player and has been part of several worship bands since 2005.

Attorney DeJohn is proud to have dedicated his career to indigent defense.

Emily M. Merski, Esquire is a part-time Assistant Public Defender (2013-present) in the Appellate Division and maintains a private practice at the Vendetti & Vendetti Law Firm.  Attorney Merski concentrates her practice in the areas of criminal defense at both the trial and appellate levels and dependency litigation.

Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Attorney Merski graduated from Mercyhurst University in 2004 with a B.A. in English and in 2006 with a M.S. in Applied Intelligence and then Pennsylvania State Dickinson School of Law in 2010.

Attorney Jessica Fiscus joined the Erie County Public Defender’s Office part time in 2017.  As a member of the appellate division, she represents those convicted of crimes or recommitted as state parole violators in their appeals to the Superior Court, Commonwealth Court and Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.  She also assists individuals with filing PCRA petitions and in achieving reductions in court-ordered financial obligations following conviction.

Attorney Fiscus received her Bachelor of Arts in the Program of Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame in 1997.  She graduated cum laude from the Case Western Reserve School of Law in 2000.  For the next several years, she served as a staff attorney for Judges Michael Joyce and Fred Anthony in the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

In 2008, Attorney Fiscus started a private practice in Erie, Pennsylvania, which focuses on direct appeals, the filing of PCRA petitions and collateral appeals, juvenile defense, and family law.  She is a member of the Erie County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.  She serves on SafeNet’s Protection from Abuse Coordinated Services Board, as a volunteer with the Veterans Legal Clinic and Highmark Caring Place, and as a solicitor for the Charter School of Excellence.

Andona Zacks-Jordan (she/her) joined the Office of the Public Defender in February of 2020. In addition to serving as a part-time Assistant Public Defender, Andona works as an attorney, mediator, collaborative professional, and ally to assist individuals and families to resolve issues peacefully, with dignity and respect. Andona is a founding partner of A to Z Law Erie, and a proud member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.

Andona graduated from Stetson University College of Law, where she earned a Certificate of Concentration in Trial Advocacy in addition to her law degree. During law school, Andona assisted veterans through Stetson's Veterans Advocacy Clinic, interned with Bay Area Legal Services, and completed an externship with Florida's Sixth Judicial Circuit Court for the Honorable Philip J. Federico. Andona also volunteered as a pro bono student caseworker through the Innocence Initiative at Stetson Law to exonerate and free incarcerated individuals who assert they have been wrongfully convicted. After law school, she worked as a volunteer attorney with Gulfcoast Legal Services before returning to Erie, her hometown.

Young Lawyer Profile Series

Brian D. Arrowsmith, Esquire is a part-time Assistant Public Defender (2014-present) and law partner at the law firm of Carney & Good (2014-present).  Attorney Arrowsmith concentrates his practice in the areas of criminal defense (both adult and juvenile) and family law litigation, while also handling cases involving wills and estates.

Previously, Attorney Arrowsmith served Erie County as an Assistant District Attorney (2010-2014) subsequent to his experience as a law clerk to the Honorable Shad Connelly of the Erie County Court of Common Pleas (2007-2010), and as a federal law clerk in Cleveland, Ohio, to the Honorable Perry J. Rhew, Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Medicare Hearing and Appeals in the United States Department of Health and Human Services (2005-2007).

Jason is a part time Assistant Public Defender at the Erie County Office of the Public Defender, where he has the opportunity to assist those who live in the Erie community.

While his law practice represents small business and individuals in varied areas of the law throughout Western Pennsylvania, his office concentrates on vigorously defending individuals charged by the Commonwealth with criminal violations. Jason has a reputation in the Courthouses throughout Western Pennsylvania as a respected Trial Attorney.

Jason earned his Juris Doctor at Duquesne University where he was an editor on Law Review, co-founder of the Animal Law Society, and participated in Moot Court among other activities. His undergraduate degree in Computer Information Systems was earned from La Roche University. He attended law school at Duquesne while working in the engineering and construction field, where he was fortunate to be involved in projects at numerous steel mills in North America.

Outside of work, Jason enjoys spending time with his family and participating in numerous outdoor activites.

Attorney Klapsinos was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania.  She received a political science degree from Gannon University. She worked as a legislative assistant, for a Pennsylvania State Senator, in the Erie, PA office and for both the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Department of the Interior in Washington D.C.  She left Washington D.C. and obtained her law degree from Western Michigan University, Cooley School of Law, after which, she returned to Erie to practice law.

She had a private practice for numerous year, the Klapsinos Law Office, and also worked for the Northwestern Legal Services for a period of time as well as freelanced for some local attorney.  Attorney Klapsinos recently joined the Public Defenders’ Office in February 2024 where she works full time as the mental health public defender, representing individuals charged with violating the laws of the Commonwealth but who may have extenuating circumstances caused by a mental illness.

An Erie County Native, Attorney Bickel is a graduate of Fort LeBoeuf High school and Penn State University.  After graduating with honors from Syracuse University College of Law, he came back to Erie to open his own law practice, focusing on criminal and family law.

For 20 years, Attorney Bickel has represented defendants all over Northwest Pennsylvania, in both state and federal court.

He is currently the chairman of the criminal defense section of the Erie County Bar Association and has been a part time public defender for 19 years.

A proud father of 3, Attorney Bickel enjoys all sports and on his rare off days enjoys golfing and spending time with family.

Krista Ott, Esquire was born and raised in Erie, PA. She went to Mercyhurst Preparatory School and graduated college from the University of Dayton. She earned her Juris Doctor from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.

Throughout her career, Attorney Ott has interned for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, was a staff attorney for the Superior Court of Pennsylvania as well as the Court of Common Pleas of Erie County, was the Solicitor for the Court of Common Pleas of Erie County, and practiced privately. She served as an Assistant Public Defender from 1996-2000 and again from 2020 until the present.

Before joining our Erie office, Matthew Thomas was a public defender in Venango County, a law clerk for multiple judges in Erie and also worked in private practice.While in private practice, Matthew handled a variety of different legal areas, ranging from estate planning to debt collection and defense.

Matthew has also had a long career as a writer and editor, penning over 50 columns, editorials and letters for publications including the Gannon Knight, Washington Times and the Elmira NY Star Gazette, along with two books on history and law.

Matthew graduated from Ohio Northern University in 2012, where he received an award for being the best researcher and writer in his senior writing seminar.

He is very proud to have graduated from Gannon in 2009, where he received an award for being the top graduating senior in the political science department.

Samuel Whalen joined the Erie County Public Defender's Office in January of 2024. In May 2023, Sam graduated Cum Laude from the Thomas R Kline School of Law of Duquesne University. During his time at Duquesne, Sam worked on a national criminal record expungement project with the Paper Prisons Initiative and participated in both the Veterans and Unemployment Compensation clinics.

Sam is a lifelong resident of Western Pennsylvania, graduating from Knoch High School in 2015 and earning a B.A. in History from Slippery Rock University in 2019. Sam looks forward to continuing to serve the public in his new role as Assistant Public Defender.