Charles Hoskins posthumously receives 2022 Defender of Distinction Award

Described as a “lifelong public defender,” Charles Hoskins posthumously received this year’s Defender of Distinction Award from the Missouri Public Defender Commission for exemplifying the ideal of public defense.

Hoskins was a lawyer with the Missouri State Public Defender Eastern Capital Office. Prior to that, he worked in the Rolla and Union trial offices. A graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law, Hoskins was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1994.

Hoskins died Dec. 15, 2021, while on a work trip.

“Charles believed in the mission of the Public Defender,” the MPDC stated. “He threw the depth of his knowledge, his nimble mind, his deep compassion, and his righteous belief in the Constitution behind every client he had the honor to represent.”

The MPDC said Hoskins would have been pleased to receive the Defender of Distinction Award.

“Like so many talented attorneys, Charles lived with doubts and an anxiety that he could be doing more for his clients,” the MPDC states. “This award would have been an affirmation that he was truly making a difference. As it is, the difference he made is evidenced by the depth of feeling poured out by co-workers, judges, prosecutors, and even clients who were privileged to work with him, and the many young attorneys he mentored and encouraged. To know Charles was to admire his dedication to his clients, to marvel at the depth and breadth of his knowledge, and to laugh, cringe, and then laugh some more at his unique wit.”

Click here to learn more about annual awards presented by The Missouri Bar, The Missouri Bar Foundation, and other entities. Read about other 2022 award winners here.