Pursuant to Government Code §27706, et seq., a Public Defender is either an elected or appointed public servant who represents indigent and limited non-indigent defendants in certain defined legal cases. Counties may choose to establish a Public Defender to represent these clients or may contract with private attorneys to render legal care. Most California counties have Public Defenders.
The Public Defender appoints Deputy Public Defenders to represent individual clients. Deputy Public Defenders must be attorneys licensed by the California State Bar. An attorney who is already a member of the Bar must pass highly competitive and rigorous examinations and interviews in order to become a Deputy Public Defender. In addition, Public Defenders throughout California require and support ongoing legal education and training to ensure the highest quality in their Deputies.