Having helped create and having served fifty years with the Federal Defender Program, Terence F. MacCarthy is officially retired on June 30, 2016.

The Chicago Defender Office, the first Federal Defender office, is considered a model office. Since 2009, it has been ably run by Carol A. Brook. Since its inception no staff attorney has ever been held in contempt nor has the office been found to have rendered ineffective of incompetent representation. The office proudly has two district court judges and has had five federal magistrate judges, and many state court judges.

MacCarthy, who served as a Marine Infantry Lieutenant, enjoys a national reputation as a most sought after trial advocacy teacher. He has lectured in all fifty states and over a dozen foreign countries. He has taught at forty law schools and has given talks to federal judges, prosecutors, trial lawyers, and obviously criminal defense attorneys. He has, among many others, spoke to and for the American Bar Association, the Federal Judicial Center, the Illinois (and over thirty other state bars) Bar Association, which honored him the award designation of Laureate.

He is a fellow of the American Bar Association, where he served for ten years in the House of Delegates and for three years on the Board of Governors. 

His high school, college, and law school have all honored him as have over fifty organizations.

In 2000 MacCarthy received the Federal Defender's Defender of the Century award. Each year since then a federal defender is honored with the MacCarthy Award.