Appointed Defense Counsel

Appointed Defense Counsel Process

Appointment of Defense Counsel
Every person appearing in Court has the right to retain an attorney. If an individual is facing a possible jail sentence and cannot afford an attorney, the Judge may appoint counsel to represent them.

In order to determine if a defendant qualifies for appointment of defense counsel, a financial affidavit must be completed in its entirety and returned to the Court before the next scheduled appearance. The financial affidavit will be provided to the defendant in court (at their appearance). 

Instructions on completing the financial affidavit are on the form itself - as well as instructions about required documents and contact information for making an appointment to review the materials. 

When the defendant appears at the next scheduled hearing, the Judge will then decide whether or not to appoint defense counsel. If defense counsel is appointed, the defendant will be provided with a "pink" colored half-sheet of paper which contains information on how to proceed with the defense attorney - specifically, completion of an intake form. 

The intake form can be accessed by using the QR code on the pink piece of paper or by clicking the following link: