Public Defender
The Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit Public Defender's Office ensures the constitutional right that adequate and effective legal representation is provided for all persons accused of felonies or juvenile offenses who cannot afford to pay for an attorney.
The Public Defender’s Office operates under the direction of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council (GPDSC), an independent agency within the executive branch of the state government of Georgia. The mission of GPDSC and the Public Defender’s Office is to ensure -- independently of political considerations or private interests -- that each indigent defendant whose cause has been entrusted to a circuit public defender receives zealous, adequate, effective, timely, and ethical legal representation, consistent with the guarantees of the Constitution of the State of Georgia, the Constitution of the United States and the mandates of the Georgia Indigent Defense Act of 2003, to provide all such legal services in a cost efficient manner; and to conduct that representation in such a way that the criminal justice system operates effectively to achieve justice.
A Public Defender is an attorney provided by the Georgia Public Defender Council to represent individuals charged with certain criminal and juvenile offenses who meet the statutory income guidelines and cannot afford to hire a private attorney. Representation is provided at the trial level and on appeal, as authorized. Public Defenders are licensed attorneys who have the same qualifications as other criminal defense attorneys and specialize only in criminal or juvenile delinquency litigation.
The Office of Public Defender represents criminal cases in the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit brought before the following courts in Haralson and Polk counties: Georgia Court of Appeals, Georgia Supreme Court, Juvenile Court, Magistrate Court, Probate Court and
Superior Court.
In addition to criminal cases, the public defender's office handles delinquency cases in juvenile court, probation revocation cases and files criminal appeals for those convicted of crimes.
To obtain the services of a public defender, a defendant must apply to and be determined as qualified for such services by a local public defender office. If you have been arrested on criminal charges in Haralson or Polk counties in the courts described above, you can apply for services at that county's office location from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. he office serving Haralson County is located at 4485 Highway 120 in Buchanan. The telephone number is 770-646-6629.
Applicants will need to bring any paperwork regarding their court case (notice of court date, charging documents / citations, bond paper, etc.), as well as any documents they might have with regards to their income (check stub from employer, SSI documents, food stamp documents, etc.).
Once completed, the application will be evaluated based on the State of Georgia's standards and guidelines for determining indigence. Upon qualification, an attorney will be assigned to the case in a prompt manner.
A representative from the local public defender office regularly visits the local jails in the judicial circuits for which it provides representation in order to find out if anyone is in need of public defender attorney services.
If you are arrested, the Georgia Public Defender Council warns that is is very important that you do not talk to anyone about your case without your assigned lawyer being present or without him/her giving your permission to do so.