Public defender is an official paid by the state to defend people who are accused of a crime and are too poor to hire their own lawyer. Criminal defendants have a constitutional right to such legal representation and must be informed of that right when they are arrested. Most public defenders have only criminal jurisdiction.
The first public defender was appointed in Los Angeles County, California, in 1914. Public defenders are fairly common today, but many courts appoint local, private attorneys called assigned counsel, who often must serve without pay to defend the poor.
