Why Retain Private Counsel?

During my time as a prosecutor, I have worked with many very talented and knowledgeable public defender attorneys, whom I hold a great deal of respect for. However, although public defense may be free, it may come with its costs:

1. High Public Defender Caseloads: 
Public defenders are assigned massive caseloads. This means that despite how hard they work and how much they care about your case, unfortunately, they have less time to devote to their clients on each given case. They are also assigned so many cases that they may miss defendable legal issues because they simply don't have enough time to really dive into each case. A private attorney will have more time and resources to build the best possible defense for your case. 

2. Your Choice:
If you apply for legal representation through the Law Offices of the Public Defender, you do not get to pick and choose your attorney. Rather, you will be assigned an attorney by the Public Defender's Office. Retaining private counsel ensures that you get to choose the attorney you want at your side during your day in court. 

3. High Turnover:
At the Public Defender's office, attorneys are frequently switching courtroom assignments, moving to different divisions, or even finding work elsewhere. This means that the attorney who represented you at the start of your case may not be the same attorney who concludes your case. If you get a new public defender halfway through your case, your newly assigned public defender may not be up to speed on your case. Retaining private counsel means the attorney who started your case will be there with you until the end and will never have to learn your case on the fly.

4. Resources: A private criminal defense attorney maintains a smaller caseload than a public defender, therefore, private attorneys have more time and resources to devote to you and your case. Private attorneys are also not constrained by office policies or budget limitations. 

5. Outcome: Because private defense attorneys carry a smaller caseload and can devote more time to you and your case, the likelihood of obtaining the best possible result in your case, considering the circumstances, is much greater.