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Bad Economy = Overworked Public Defenders!

By Walin & Klarich

Budget Cuts, Hiring Freezes Impact Caseloads of Public Defender?s Offices, Which Means You Should Hire A Private Criminal Defense Attorney In the landmark 1963 case of Gideon v. Wright, the Supreme Court held that every person accused of a serious crime, whether they could afford an attorney or not, had a right to effective assistance of counsel. From this case came the birth of the modern Public Defender?s office, implemented with the goal of providing effective legal assistance to those who could not, or did not wish to, pay for a private attorney. Unfortunately, times are changing. With the current economic climate resulting in state budget cuts in nearly every sector, the Public Defender?s office has not been immune. In fact, several southern California counties have completely stopped hiring at a time when additional attorneys are desperately needed...continue to full post

Full post as published by Southern California Criminal Defense Blog on May 10, 2009 (boomark / email).