court-appointed attorney
State-provided legal defender
A court-appointed attorney is a lawyer assigned by a judge to represent someone who cannot afford private counsel.
In criminal cases, defendants have a constitutional right to legal representation, so courts appoint attorneys for those who qualify as indigent: The court-appointed attorney met with her client before the arraignment.
Also called a public defender, though public defenders work for dedicated offices while court-appointed attorneys may be private lawyers accepting assigned cases.
- Sixth AmendmentConstitutional trial protections
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
- first appearanceInitial public presentation
- criminal chargesFormal accusations of lawbreaking
- public defenderAttorney representing those unable to afford one
plea bargain · guilty plea · access to justice · fair trial · trial lawyer · due process · habeas corpus · legal counsel · sentencing hearing · Miranda rights · defendant's rights · legal aid office · presumption of innocence · equal protection · trial proceedings · advocate · court system · bail hearing
- Legal Careerslawyer, paralegal, solicitor, barrister, counsel
- Criminal Procedurearraignment, arrest, grand jury, investigation, guilty plea
- Public Defensepublic defender, defense counsel, right to counsel, public defender office, Sixth Amendment
courts, courted, courting, courtly, courtier, courtiers, courtesy, courteous, courteously