Public Defender
To defend our clients by providing skilled, aggressive, and passionate advocacy to preserve the rights guaranteed to all members of our community. MISSION
ABOUT
The Office of the Public Defender (OPD) works to provide competent and effective legal counsel to any indigent person in Allegheny County who is unable to afford legal counsel in any proceeding where representation is constitutionally required. In general, a person is entitled to legal counsel from the Office of the Public Defender whenever that individual's personal liberty is at stake. This would include capital crimes, felony offenses, and misdemeanor and summary offenses that carry a possible sentence of incarceration and commitment proceedings under the Mental Health Procedures Act. In Allegheny County, eligibility for public defender services is based on federal poverty guidelines. Income and family financial responsibilities are considered in determining qualification for legal representation by the public defender. There are 142 people who work in the Office of the Public Defender. These individuals fulfill many roles: administrators, lawyers, legal secretaries, paralegals, investigators, clerks, and social workers.
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