public defender

public defender
a lawyer appointed or elected by a city or county as a full-time, official defender to represent indigents in criminal cases at public expense. Cf. assigned counsel.
[1915-20]

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▪ law
      attorney permanently employed by a government to represent indigent persons accused of crimes. Public defenders, used primarily in the United States, are to be distinguished from assigned counsel (q.v.), who are private lawyers appointed by the courts to handle particular cases. See also legal aid.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • public defender — n: a lawyer usu. holding public office who represents criminal defendants unable to pay for legal assistance Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. public defender …   Law dictionary

  • public defender — public defenders N COUNT A public defender is a lawyer who is employed by a city or county to represent people who are accused of crimes but cannot afford to pay for a lawyer themselves. [AM] …   English dictionary

  • public defender — ☆ public defender n. an attorney employed at public expense to defend indigent persons accused of crimes …   English World dictionary

  • Public defender — For the 1931 film featuring Boris Karloff, see The Public Defender. Public Defenders offices in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with …   Wikipedia

  • public defender — An attorney appointed by a court or employed by a government agency whose work consists primarily in defending indigent defendants in criminal cases. Federal Public Defender Organizations and Community Defender Organizations are provided for… …   Black's law dictionary

  • public defender — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms public defender : singular public defender plural public defenders legal in the US, a lawyer who is paid by the government to defend people in court if they cannot pay for themselves …   English dictionary

  • public defender — noun a lawyer who represents indigent defendants at public expense • Topics: ↑law, ↑jurisprudence • Hypernyms: ↑lawyer, ↑attorney * * * noun, pl ⋯ ers [count] US : a lawyer who is paid by the government to defend people who are accused of a crime …   Useful english dictionary

  • public defender — public de fender n AmE a lawyer who is paid by the government to defend people in court, because they cannot pay for a lawyer themselves →↑district attorney …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • public defender — public de fender noun count in the U.S., a lawyer who is paid by the government to defend people in court if they cannot pay for themselves …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • public defender — noun Date: 1918 a lawyer usually holding public office whose duty is to defend accused persons unable to pay for legal assistance …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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