Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: public defrender losses and wins

You won't find the info, because what you think is a "win" and what the public defender thinks is a "win" are two different things.

You get what you pay for, and using the public defender is nearly always a poor substitute for hiring a private attorney. A "win" for a public defender is when the defendant pleads guilty, so the PD can move on to one of her other 1,000 cases. A public defender won't appear in your absence so you don't have to miss work. A public defender won't usually prepare your case for trial. A public defender usually won't tell you that any criminal conviction will keep him from getting a job, ever.

If a real "win" is what you are looking for -- such as a Not Guilty verdict or a dismissal of all charges -- then you need to try harder to get your husband a private attorney. If all a "win" means for you is to get it over with and plead guilty, go with the public defender.

Re: public defrender losses and wins

I'm been doing criminal law for about 24 years and have never been asked this question. I do not believe you'll be able to finds such stats on the P.D. Your husband has on his case. While the P.D.'s office may keep internal stats they will not give that info to you, in my opinion. You can ask how long they've been practicing and how many Felonies /misdemeanors they've handled. That's not the problem however. The issue is most public defenders have up to 30 cases a day to resolve. In a case of any importance I always suggest seeking good private legal counsel. Its your choice and his future. David Wallin at www.wallinlaw.com

Re: public defrender losses and wins

Afraid I am going to have to concur with co-counsel. With Public Defenders, you get what you pay for.

I Also recommend looking this person up on the California Bar's website at calbar.org and see how long he or she has been practicing.

Re: public defrender losses and wins

I am outraged that the attorneys on this site would berate a hard working public defender that they never met before. Some of the most qualified attorneys in this nation are PD's. A win for a PD is the same as a private attorney minus the huge retainer.