Legal Question in Criminal Law in Pennsylvania

Re: attorneys

A conflict attorney is an attorney that is appointed when the public defender's office has a conflict.

For example, if there were two people arrested for a particular crime, the public defender can represent only one, and the other is appointed a 'conflict' attorney.

Another example is when the public defender represents someone who is the victim, or may be a witness against, a defendant. In that case, a 'conflict' attorney is appointed.