Category: Public Defender

The purpose of public defenders is to help people who cannot afford to hire private firm attorneys to fight their cases. It is an aid provided by the government. Therefore, if you cannot afford a private attorney, you can choose to work with a public defender. However, they should not be your first choice. Public defenders are not nearly as competent as private firm attorneys.

In most cases, the public defender does not give their best to help their allotted client. They are going to get their salaries regardless of whether they win the case or not. They do not have an incentive to win, which is why they do not go out of their way to help you. Consult with a New Jersey Criminal Law Expert today.

Reasons to not choose a public defender for your DUI case 

They are less experienced. 

In many cases, a public defender is someone who has recently graduated from law school with no years of practice. Not only do they have less experience dealing with criminal cases, but it might be their first time fighting a case like yours. They may have less knowledge about litigation procedures and may prove ineffective in presenting convincing arguments to a judge or jury. You also won’t be able to review a public defender’s experience profile, which creates a sense of uncertainty.

You cannot choose the public defender you want. 

Public defenders are assigned to cases; you cannot choose one from the crowd. When you start working with a public defender, you won’t know about their experience or qualifications. While working with them, if you suspect that they do not have what it takes to win your case, you probably won’t be allowed to switch lawyers. Basically, you could be stuck with someone you do not want.

They are frequently underpaid and overloaded with work. 

Public defenders are often overloaded with work. This means they have too many cases they are dealing with at the same time. They may not be able to invest enough time and energy into your case. Because of this, they may be more interested in closing your case as soon as possible rather than taking their time to bring the best possible outcome.

You need an attorney who is willing to do whatever is necessary to gather the strongest evidence and build an effective argument. For this, they should have enough time to work on your case only. This is usually not possible with public defenders.

Hire an experienced attorney from a reputed law firm today.