Legal Question in Criminal Law in Maryland

Re: can a public defender do the job or is a private attorney necessary??

Public Defenders are generally very good lawyers. In fact, they often have more experience and have handled more cases than private attorneys. However, the advantage of a private attorney is that they usually have more time and resources to dedicate to the case.

I usually tell people that there are great public defenders and not so good public defenders. The same is true for private attorneys and other professions. Choose someone who you can trust and are comfortable with.

The decision of whether or not to hire a private attorney is one that only you can make. Public Defenders are reserved for people that are indigent. If you're not indigent, you may not qualify for a public defender.