Public Defenders by State
Download article as a PDFThree primary ways of providing indigent defense services are used: Public Defenders, Assigned Counsel, and/or Contract Attorneys. States and localities use these methods of delivering indigent defense services either alone or in combination.
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National
- ABA Report on Primary Indigent Defense Delivery Systems (As of FY2008)
- National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA)
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NADCL)
- Association of Federal Defense Attorneys (AFDA)
- Death Penalty Information Center
State
Alabama
- Shelby County Circuit Court Phone Directory for Public Defender's Office
Alaska
Arizona
- Arizona Public Defender Association
- Coconino County Public Defender
- Maricopa County Legal Defender
- Maricopa County Public Defende
- Yavapai County Public Defender
Arkansas
California
- Office of the State Public Defender
- California County Public Defenders
- Federal Defenders of San Diego
Colorado
- Colorado State Public Defender
- City of Lakewood Court Appointed Attorney/ Public Defender
- Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado and Wyoming
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
- Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
- Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia
Florida
- Florida Public Defenders by Judicial Circuit
- Columbia County
- Hillsborough County Public Defender
- Martin County Public Defender
- Miami Public Defender
- Palm Beach County Public Defender
- Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Florida
- Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida
Georgia
- Georgia Public Defender Standards Council
- Fulton County Conflict Defender
- Habersham County Public Defender
- Hart County Public Defender
Hawaii
Idaho
- Idaho Office of the State Appellate Defender
- Elmore County Public Defender
- Gem County Public Defender
- Kootenai County Public Defender
- Minidoka County Public Defender
- Power County Public Defender
- Twin Falls County Public Defender
- Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho
Illinois
- Illinois State Appellate Defender
- Illinois Public Defender Directory
- Cook County Public Defender
- DeKalb County Public Defender
- DuPage County Public Defender
- Effingham County Public Defender
- Jackson County Public Defender
- Kane County Public Defender
- Montgomery County Public Defender
- Sangamon County Public Defender
- Whiteside County Public Defender
- Federal Public Defender for the Central District of Illinois
Indiana
- Indiana Public Defender Council
- Allen County Public Defender
- Clark County Public Defender
- DeKalb County Public Defender
- Marion County Public Defender
- Monroe County Public Defender
- Tippecanoe County Public Defender
- Vigo County Public Defender
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
- Maine has no state-level indigent defense office. County judges or the court clerk's office can assign private attorneys to represent indigent criminal defendants. See Maine: An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings
Maryland
Massachusetts
- Committee for Public Counsel Services
- Federal Defender Office for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
Michigan
- State Appellate Defender Office
- Livingston County Public Defender
- Washtenaw County Public Defender
- Federal Defender Office, Eastern District of Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
- Montana State Public Defender
- Montana Appellate Defender Office
- Federal Public Defenders for the District of Montana
Nebraska
- Box Butte County Public Defender
- Buffalo County Public Defender
- Lancaster County Public Defender
- Madison County Public Defender
- Otoe County Public Defender
- Pierce County Public Defender
- Platte County Public Defender
- Scotts Bluff County Public Defender
- Federal Public Defender for the District of Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
- New Hampshire Public Defender
- Federal Defender Office for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
- New York State Defenders Association
- Capital Defender Office
- Albany County Public Defender
- Brooklyn Defender Services
- Broome County Public Defender
- Carbon County Public Defender
- Cayuga County Assigned Counsel
- Cortland County Public Defender
- Erie County Bar Association Aid to Indigent Prisoners Assigned Counsel Program
- Fulton County Conflict Defender
- Genese County Public Defender
- Harlem Neighborhood Defender Service
- Jefferson County Public Defender's Office
- Monroe County Assigned Counsel
- New York City Office of the Appellate Defender
- Oneida County Public Defender
- Orleans County Public Defender
- St. Lawrence County Public Defender
- Steuben County Public Defender
- Ulster County Public Defender
- Federal Public Defender for the Western District of New York
- Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
- Ohio Public Defender
- Geauga County Public Defender
- Hamilton County Public Defender
- Knox County Public Defender
- City of Lima Public Defender
- Portage County Public Defender
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
- Allegheny County Public Defender
- Beaver County Public Defenders
- Centre County Defender Office
- Chester County Public Defender
- Clearfield County Public Defender
- Cumberland County Public Defender
- Delaware County Public Defender
- Fayette County Public Defender
- Greene County Public Defender
- Huntingdon County Public Defender
- Lancaster County Public Defender's Office
- Lawrence County Public Defender
- Mifflin County Public Defender
- Northhampton County Public Defender
- Philadelphia Defender Association
- Susquehanna County Public Defender
- Westmoreland County Public Defender
- York County Public Defender
- Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
- Office of the State Public Defender
- Federal Defender Office for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
South Carolina
- South Carolina Public Defender Offices
- Aiken County Public Defender
- Charleston County Public Defender
- Spartanburg Office of the Public Defender
South Dakota
- Lawrence County Public Defender
- Minnehaha County Public Defender
- Pennington County Public Defender
- Federal Public Defender for the District of South Dakota
Tennessee
- Blount County District Public Defender
- Public Defender of Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County
- Knox County Public Defender
- Shelby County Public Defender
Texas
- El Paso County Public Defender
- Travis County Juvenile Public Defender
- Webb County Public Defender
- Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Texas
- Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
- Washington State Office of Public Defense
- Washington Public Defender Offices
- Pierce County Assigned Counsel
- San Juan County Public Defender
- Seattle and King County Defender Association
- Spokane County Public Defender
- Whatcom County Public Defender
- Cities of Kent and Seattle Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons
- City of Bellevue Public Defender
- City of Kent Municipal Court Public Defender
- Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
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