She comes to the ILF from the Public Defense Service (PDS) in Auckland, New Zealand, a project set up in 2004 to address the needs of and improve services to the indigent accused. At the PDS, Manning oversees the work of four lawyers, conducts training and development sessions for junior lawyers and carries a caseload of 40, as well as the overall responsibility for all the defendants assigned to her team. From 2006 to July 2009, Manning worked as a public defender and legal advisor for the provincial government and public solicitor of the Solomon Islands, helping to restore law and order to the province after nearly five years of insurgency and unrest. Manning is a graduate of the University of Auckland, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and an LLB with honors.