Is there such thing as a public defender..well mine say's he can't go into court for me..and drop a waarant..but when i call a payed attorney know what he says i'll di it for 500.00$ now why can he do it and the pubic defender can't.i believe thats putting a price on me more less ..what can i do when you can't pay for a attorney and the public defender won't do anyyhing..help please
2007-02-14 11:11:57 · 11 answers · asked by mark b 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
First of all, the public defender's office cannot come into play until you have been arrested. The state is not required to provide you with an attorney until you are threatened with jail or prison, by virtue of having been arrested or by having a criminal complaint filed against you. I am guessing that your warrant is for traffic violations, else you might already be in jail. The public defender does not handle traffic court, because traffic court penalties only involve fines, unless it is 1) failure to appear, or 2) failure to pay as required. You will need to hire an attorney. All your state bar association would be able to do it to direct you to the local attorney referral service.
2007-02-14 11:21:26 · answer #1 · answered by legaleagle 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In many instances, attorneys can't get warrants dropped for you. You have to do it yourself, such as pay a fine, appear in court, or what not. A public defender will tell you he can't, because he's being pretty honest. A private attorney may pay for it and then charge you 3 times as much as part of his retainer fees.
I worked five years as a criminal defense investigator/trial assistant. The law firm I worked in were not public defenders for the city or county, but we were a non-profit agency that provided legal services for those who could not afford it and as an alternative to the county public defenders. What I can tell you is, public defenders are very brilliant attorneys. They're always trying to find ways to beat the system, so to speak, for their clients sake. They deal with the ugliest, nastiest, and most complicated cases that no one will take. They get the same outcomes or even better than the private attorneys that people pay thousands for.
As a trial assistant, I'd sit in court rooms and assist the attorneys with their trials. Many times, judges have a zillion things going on at once and we're sitting in courts waiting while the judge goes through the calender. I've seen many private attorneys who were just idiots. On a break, one private attorney was asking the public defenders what statues would apply or wouldn't apply. I even knew the answer and I never went to law school (and never will!).
I've also seen so many clients who came into our office because they spent thousands of dollars on private attorneys and the private ones screwed up the cases so bad, they'd come to us. Or they would be out of money because the private attorneys would take the money and not deliver the promises, such as getting warrants removed.
You didn't mention what the warrant was for. If you have a warrant for a failure to appear, a felony, or more serious issues, then no....no attorney will be able to get it removed.
Email me via my profile. I'll see if I can help or not.
2007-02-14 11:26:44 · answer #2 · answered by Lisa S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Public defenders are often crap! You can fire him, but in most states when you fire a public defender, the courts do not have to give you another one, so be careful. The best thing you can do is tell him you are looking into filing an appeal and your grounds will be ineffective assistance of council
2016-05-23 23:45:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My SIL got busted for drugs. He tried to get a public defender inSC but didn't qualify because he made to much money. He was in construction making $17.00. The case wasn't a felony and the PD office could not help. However epending on the charges and severity of the trial (drunk driving with a fatal accident) he would have qualified.
2007-02-14 11:19:37 · answer #4 · answered by sweet sue 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have a $500 no-show warrant it is because you failed to appear in Court when ordered to do so. It's up to you to show up, and if it wasn't important enough to do so, you shouldn't now complain about paying. The Public Defender has better things to do than recall a warrant that was necessitated by your own laziness.
Sorry.
2007-02-14 11:21:21 · answer #5 · answered by obamaforprez 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First off, the public Att. Needs to be appointed by the courts i beleive. Why not go to court yourself. who needs a lawyer. You can get it dropped on your own. Research the internet and find the answers your are looking for so you will know what to expect. I fired my Lawyer when he told me i could not get joint custody having never been married. I got joint custody after knowing my daughters mother for 3 weeks. Screw lawyers.. go pro-se and save your money.
2007-02-14 11:17:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
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2007-02-14 12:34:01 · answer #7 · answered by deesnuts 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
call your state Bar association and ask for help. They should be able to steer you in the right direction quick
2007-02-14 11:15:48 · answer #8 · answered by lego 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm not in the business of advising criminals. seek help elsewhere.
2007-02-14 11:17:58 · answer #9 · answered by patriot07 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
contact you government agency. they should do for free
2007-02-14 11:14:13 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋