Colorado criminal defense attorney/what about court appointed lawyer?

If you've been charged with a crime and need a Colorado criminal defense attorney, you're probably like most people and not rolling in money to hire Pamela Mackey or Michael Steinberg. In fact, even a decent lawyer's fee for a non-felony charge like a DUI may seem totally unaffordable. What, you ask, about my right to have a lawyer appointed to help with my defense? Unfortunately, a defendant must demonstrate exceedingly low income and resources to qualify for court-appointed counsel. If you have income where you may be able to save up to afford a criminal lawyer's fee, forget about it. If you own a house, or any other valuable collateral that you could borrow against to afford a lawyer's fee, again you will not qualify for court appointed counsel, and will have to hire your own Denver criminal defense attorney. Even a determination that you qualify may not be final--if you decide to go out and hire a different lawyer, or it is determined that you no longer qualify for the court-appointed program, you will need to repay the public defender's costs in defending you.

Some people may qualify for court appointed counsel based on their own income, but could possibly borrow from friends or family to pay for their own Denver criminal defense attorney. In this case, it can be a difficult decision. Although the court appointed attorneys are extraordinarily talented and dedicated, their budgets are limited and they are incredibly overloaded with cases. Nationwide surveys show public defenders carry 3x the caseloads of even the busiest private criminal defense attorneys. As such, public defenders must budget their time, and will not be able to devote the level of energy and effort to your individual case. Obviously, hiring your own private attorney can be an extraordinary hardship, but if it is at all possible, you should do so.