Thomas, Ahnell, Laraway & Smith, LLC
Can I Use a Public Defender for Denver DUI Defense?
Denver DUI Attorney Explains Differences between Public Defenders and Private Lawyers
Depending on whether you are in police custody and your financial situation, you may be entitled to representation by a public defender for your DUI defense case. However, you should strongly consider the services of a private DUI attorney instead. Our law firm has a lot of respect for public defenders and the important work that they do. However, the public defender’s office is often overburdened with cases. In this video, Denver DUI lawyer Will Smith explains the differences between private attorneys and public defenders.
To speak to a Colorado DUI defense lawyer, you can call us at (720) 542-6148 or contact us through our site here.
Transcription:
Whether somebody can get a public defender or not entirely depends on their circumstances. Normally, if someone is in custody, they are entitled to a public defender, normally. If you’re out of custody, normally, you’re looking at different financial guidelines as to whether or not you qualify for effectively publicly paid representation, so you have to meet certain income guidelines, depends on the size of your household, your income, etc. Ultimately, the public defender’s office here in Colorado is fantastic. They do a nice job, no doubt about it. The difference between the public defender’s office and a private firm like myself is, first, you can choose your attorney. With the public defender’s office, they will assign you an attorney who may or may not have a large caseload, and you do not get to choose who helps you with your case. A private attorney, you get to choose. You get to sit down and get to, in the case of my firm, you sit down with me, you will discuss the specifics of your case and you can rest assured that I’m going to work with you to do everything we can to get you the best outcome possible.
For more information, visit us at DUIDefenseMatters.com.