By term, public defenders help out the community in legal advice. Usually those who seek the help of a public defender are people who are financially unstable. But, I heard from a friend who recently had a criminal case, that his public defender charged him $400.00 at the end of trial.
Is this true in Florida? I thought p.d.'s were free of charge?
2006-08-30 14:16:19 · 5 answers · asked by RR 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Not free unless you can't pay, most of the time it is pro-rated based on your income. $400 is NOTHING and he should pay.
I've spent $1,200 for a lawyer for a 1/2 day in court!
2006-08-30 14:23:03 · answer #1 · answered by N3WJL 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion public defenders are becoming obsolete and for good reasons. Firstly, when you are in need of a PD you are usually going against the state. Who do public defenders work for? The state. There's not much math to be done there to understand that you might not have the best scenario. But then again who else do you turn to when the average attorney is charging several hundreds of dollars an hour?
Prepaid Legal is proactive in providing access into the legal system for only a small fee a month. For what a regular attorney charges for 2 hrs you can pay a years subscription with a Prepaid Legal membership. It's absolutely a no brainer. Also all of your dependants, spouse or significant other are covered without your premium going up. You should have your friend check out the services and the coverage.
For more information:
http://www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/millionairehoy
2006-08-30 22:58:34 · answer #2 · answered by Millionaire Hoy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
PDs are subsidized by the court (state or federal), based on how much (if anything) the defendant can afford to pay.
If the defendant cannot afford anything, then the PD is free. If the defendant can afford to pay a little, then that offsets some of the cost paid by the state.
The lawyer also generally subsidizes some of the cost, and most get paid around half of what they would normally bill hourly.
What the defendant cannot (or does not pay) and what the lawyer does not write off as a court-appointed-discount, the govt picks up.
2006-08-30 21:19:02 · answer #3 · answered by coragryph 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some jurisdictions will seek reimbursement to the for the cost of defense to the extent that the defendant has the ability to pay. Remember that the PD is paid for by our tax dollars and not everybody fully qualifies for free representation. Some jurisdictions will use a sliding scale to determine how much, if any, that the defendant should pay.
2006-08-30 22:15:39 · answer #4 · answered by Carl 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Q Is a Public Defender free?
A No. If you enter a plea or are convicted at trial, the court can enter an order requiring payment of a fee or the court can make the fee a lien which could affect your credit. There is no fee ordered if your case is dismissed or you are acquitted.
2006-08-30 21:18:59 · answer #5 · answered by Justsyd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋