Attorney vs. Public Defender?

Public Defenders have graduated from law school and are members of the Bar, just like any other attorney. They are qualified, and passionate about what they do (they get paid considerably less than private attorneys and so have to believe in the job of a PD).

Are Public Defenders good? They are no more or less skilled than any other attorney. Public Defenders also have access to resources such as contracted investigators, just like private attorneys do. One important thing to consider is that simply because an attorney is private does not guarantee he or she is better than a Public Defender. Their experience in criminal matters could be considerably less.

However, one of the most important factors that everybody else has seemed to miss on this message board is the consideration of caseload. A Public Defender can typically have 20-40 cases or more active at one time, which means they have less time and focus to dedicate to one single case. A private attorney will usually be committed directly to your one case, which is also why they cost more. Keep in mind, this doesn't guarantee that the private attorney will be "better," but simply will be able to dedicate more concentration and focus to your case, which has the potential to affect the outcome, as some Public Defenders have been accused of "dumptruck" justice.

So, yes, PDs are real attorneys who specialize in criminal matters and their individual skill in adjudicating your criminal case will depending on them personally. The issue of the caseload should be evaluated in your own point of view.

Hope that helps.

Public Defender Vs Private Attorney

Public Defender Vs Lawyer

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Attorney vs. Public Defender?

My son went thru a couple of bad teen years and got into trouble with the law. I paid for an attorney for some of his problems (which worked out very well). Now he has one more case coming up and I just don't have the money for the attorney.

Are Public Defenders good? Are they "real...

My experience with a well known public defender was one of horror. An individual related to me was sentenced to 10 years on a hear say case which was generated against him by his e-wife out of pure anger. The public defender just sat on his hands and did nothing more than collect his money. This attorney refused to gather witness's & said he will not go to trial. When asked why he wouldn't gather witness's, he said; they won't let me. The 3 choices he gave his client were: 1-kill yourself,, 2-accept 5 years or choice 3- life behind bars. There was 1 more option, the lawyer said give me $50,000 & I will make this case go away. Once hired as a public defender, he is not permitted to receive any money from his client.

If you do not have the money to pay for extras, your son is better off with a public defender.

They are real attorneys. Because their income is not tied to their success rate, they are more likely to be willing to take a marginal case to trial if that is what their client wants.

While public defenders have to budget resources across all of their cases, they do have access to investigators and experts and, if the facts of the case merit it, they will use those resources.

On the other hand, the only limit on the resources of a private attorney is the resources of their client. How many hours of work can you afford on a case because that might be all that you can get from a private attorney who will have to devote most of his/her time to the clients who can pay for that time.

The main difference between public defenders and private attorneys tend to be in the clientele. Private attorneys get the clients from "good" families who have jobs and prospects in the community. Public defenders get the clients from families that aren't wealthy and who, due to prior legal problems, do not have as many positives to support an argument for a better deal.

A public defender is in there to do a job, he has no vested interest in whether the defendant wins or loses either way he will get his pay and either way there will be another defendant appointed to him.

A hired attorney on the other hand has a reputation to build and maintain. If you can by all means do hire somebody the worst hired attorney is likely to be better than the average public defender. Average because I'm sure there is one somewhere that is good at what he/she does but what are the odds of you running into him/her?

The difference is if your have a minor crime you can get away with using a PD but with felonies and more serious crimes the PD IS NO HELP you might as walk in the county jail yourself and close the door !! Anytime your offered jail time or have felony charges DO NOT TRUST THE PD because they will not fight as hard for you resulting in jail time for sure. A private attorney will press the facts you have in your favor and you could get off or at least probation. Basically PD IS NO GOOD IN SUPERIOR COURT. If you in this situation get all the money u can and talk to any and as many lawyers you see around the court house ASAP !!! Some lawyers will give you a discount and except hourly pay or on the spot pay DO NOT TRUST A PD IN SUPERIOR COURT. THE DIFFERENCE IS years in jail with a PD or acquittal /probation with a lawyer take your pick. This comes from experience

Public defenders are, on the whole, excellent attorneys who specialize in nothing but criminal defense. They work in a difficult, unappreciated arena and make less than they could in private practice. Every PD I've ever met is passionate about what they do, which is protecting the rights of every accused and making sure that the government meets its standard of proof.

That said, they do lack some of the resources of private attorneys. They don't have the funds for investigators to spend hundreds of hours, pricey expert witnesses, or extensive independent forensic testing. They are also very busy and overworked and may not provide the level of personal attention that you might wish for, but that doesn't mean they aren't very, very good at their jobs.