Represent indigent clients facing felony criminal charges at all stages of proceedings from arraignment through sentencing. Have tried more than 40 criminal cases to a jury, including two homicide cases. Completed an 18-month rotation representing minors in juvenile delinquency proceedings. (2011-2013)
Conducted intake interviews for new clients; researched, wrote, and argued motions.
Counseled primarily Spanish-speaking tenants facing rent increases or eviction in the Mission District in San Francisco. Represented tenants at administrative hearings in front of the San Francisco Rent Board. Assisted in organizing tenants in Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotels to address poor living conditions.
Jennifer Welch is a trial and appellate lawyer in the Raleigh office of Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP. Since joining the firm in 2003, she has developed a statewide civil litigation practice representing businesses of all sizes, insurance carriers and individuals.
It is always a good idea to research your lawyer prior to hiring. Every state has a disciplinary organization that monitors attorneys, their licenses, and consumer complaints. By researching lawyer discipline you can:
If the court approves a public defender, the defendant should contact the public defender’s office to arrange a meeting in which information will be gathered to match the defendant with a specific attorney.
If a defendant is granted a public defender, he or she is given information by the court as to where and when to meet with the appointed attorney.
In the landmark case Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45 (1932), the Court ruled that due process guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution had been violated when the court failed to give these defendants time to obtain counsel, and by failing to appoint attorneys to represent them.
The individual defendant’s financial eligibility for services from the federal public defender’s office is determined by the federal court at the beginning of the case, at the time the defendant requests representation be provided. Federal public defenders typically have a much lower caseload than public defenders at the state level, ...
Federal public defenders typically have a much lower caseload than public defenders at the state level, each assistant federal public defender handling, on average, 30-50 cases at a time. This is compared to a state public defender’s caseload that is frequently over 100 cases at a time.
Alabama was the beginning of the modern system of providing public defenders to indigent defendants in any criminal case for which incarceration is a possibility. In 2013, more than 80 years later, the state of Alabama granted posthumous pardons to the Scottsboro Boys.
The defendant may be required to prove his inability to pay for private representation by providing proof of his financial situation, including information about the dependents they are supporting. The lower the defendant’s income and available assets, and the greater severity of the charge, the more likely the defendant will be given a public defender.
Public defenders are legal professionals paid via the government to symbolize individuals who cannot find the money to hire their very own attorney. Public defenders are generally assigned to represent clients accused of committing a crime in the county or state where they live.
Step 1: first of all, you want to remember that while you pick out a public defender, your lifestyle is no longer in your arms. He will be responsible for your life, and you will have to work with him only.
The public defender’s function is to make sure that a lawyer represents the defendant at every vital level of a criminal proceeding ; this includes the initial appearance, arraignment, bail hearing, pretrial motion practice, and trial.
When you have an arrest, you can have the public defender represent you. But many people think the public defender is not a good choice. That’s because people think of the public defender as the cheap lawyer. But the public defender is an excellent lawyer who has a big heart and passion for serving the people.