Is your court-appointed attorney not returning phone calls? Here’s my advice:
- Be patient – Public defenders have exponentially more clients than private attorneys. For example, I take 250 court-appointed criminal cases each fiscal year and I receive, on average, about 100 phone calls each week. It’s simply impossible to promptly return each and every call.
- Be specific when leaving a voicemail – I frequently have clients call my office and leave a message simply demanding that I call them back. Occasionally the caller assumes that I recognize his or her number and doesn’t even give a name. When you leave a message for your attorney, tell him who you are and exactly why you’re calling. This way, when he returns your call, your conversation can be productive and brief.
- Be polite…or, at the very least, don’t be hostile! – If you’re leaving angry messages for your court-appointed lawyer–reminding him of how many times you’ve called and how pissed off you are–he may shy away from calling you back. So be polite. You catch more bees with honey.
- Email – For some reason, my court-appointed clients almost never send emails. When I do get one, I readily notice it and respond. If you don’t email, you may consider snail mail. This may take some extra effort, but again it will get your lawyer’s attention and likely prompt a quick response.
Below is my YouTube video “Public Defenders and Their Phones“: