Elizabeth “Liz” Oyer, Esq., is Senior Litigation Counsel to the Office of the Federal Public Defender for Maryland. She represents indigent defendants at all stages of proceedings in federal district court. Ms. Oyer handles various criminal cases, ranging from complex frauds to drug and gun offenses and violent crimes. In addition to her case work, Ms. Oyer is the Office’s ethics and conflicts advisor, discovery policy coordinator, and mentor to junior attorneys.

Before joining the Federal Public Defender in 2012, Ms. Oyer was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Mayer Brown LLP, where she practiced civil and criminal litigation. Ms. Oyer handled a diverse array of cases, including class actions and multi-district litigations, at both the trial and appellate levels. Ms. Oyer also maintained an active pro bono practice during her time at the firm. Ms. Oyer strongly values community engagement and has done substantial volunteer work with Community of Hope, Jobs Have Priority, and other local organizations.

Ms. Oyer received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and her law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. At Harvard, Ms. Oyer was an Executive Editor of the Harvard Law Review and a member of the winning team of the Ames Moot Court Competition, in which she was awarded Best Oralist. Following law school, Ms. Oyer clerked for the Honorable Stanley Marcus on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.