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Today, the federal government and some states have public defender offices who represent indigent defendants—people who cannot afford attorney fees. [11] At the federal level, there are over 80 federal defender organizations, [ 11 ] while at the state level there are over 500 local defender offices. [ 12 ]
The public defender system is not the only form of indigent defense program offered in the United States. Besides the public defender system, there are two other main alternatives: assigned-counsel system and contract-service system. [3] Assigned-counsel is where the court appoints a private lawyer to defend someone who cannot afford to pay. [3]
The term public defender in the United States is often used to describe a lawyer who is appointed by a court to represent a defendant who cannot afford to hire an attorney. More correctly, a public defender is a lawyer who works for a public defender's office, a government-funded agency that provides legal representation to indigent defendants.
The City Public Defender handled Municipal Court filings, including felony preliminary hearings, while the County Public Defender handled felony cases in Superior Court. [2] From 1921 to 1927, William Tell Aggeler served as the Chief Public Defender. Judge Aggeler was an important figure in the early development of public defender's office. [5]
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The San Diego County Public Defender's office is an agency of the government of San Diego County, California. It provides legal assistance to individuals charged with a crime in state court who are financially unable to retain private counsel. [ 1 ]
In February 2011, Adachi appointed Matt Gonzalez chief attorney in the Public Defender's Office. [4] [5] As of 2012, the San Francisco Public Defender's Office is one of the most diverse law offices in the country, with over 55% women and 50% minorities and LGBT attorneys and staff. [6] In 2016, the office became involved in the Frisco Five ...
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system.Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.