Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Different public defenders choose the job for different reasons.

PD jobs are not easy to get. The competition for each opening is quite strong. Lawyers who have failed in other types of practice are unlikely to be hired as PDs. Instead, PDs are typically quite good lawyers.

Since you mentioned pay, you should know that PDs are usually paid about the same amount as prosecutors and other government attorneys.

The problem with relying on a PD is that they are overworked and don't have enough time for each client. Lack of time is a problem no matter how good -- or how expensive -- your lawyer may be.

substitute prosecutor in place of publc defender and ask the same question....

All the public defenders that I have known are very good lawyers. Many are better than the private attorneys who practice in the same field. The problem, as Mr. Hoffman states, is that they have limited time and resources, which may not help you in certain cases.