The DPJN is committed to providing the highest quality legal representation to all clients assigned to the Agency by the courts. This representation is given for representation regardless of a person`s current creditworthiness. The court provides a list of single defendants or a «Form 5A,» which is the request for representation by a public defender. This form asks for information about the defendant`s place of residence, criminal record, employment history and financial situation. It attempts to balance the defendant`s income and assets with his or her expenses and debts in order to determine whether the defendant meets the criteria of necessity to be eligible for public defender. The defendant is also asked if he needs an interpreter and, if so, for what language. Once the court has ruled that an accused is eligible for public defence, the case is referred to the NJOPD regional office in the district where the case is to be heard. For a list of these regional offices, click here, The Deputy Public Defender responsible for this regional office will then appoint a lawyer to handle the case. Every defendant charged with a criminal offense in New Jersey has the right to be represented by counsel, whether or not he or she can afford it. For any person who feels that he or she cannot afford a lawyer, the court has a procedure to determine whether a public defender can be appointed to represent him.
Contrary to popular belief, the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender (NJOPD) does not decide which applicants are admitted to representation. This decision is taken by the courts on the basis of the information provided by the applicants. Note: This list does not include forms for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) or forms for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Forms for these offices can be found on their websites. All declined payments will be subject to a $20 service fee, which will be added to the applicable late fees. The application deadline will be applied if payment is not received within the published deadline. Out-of-State Registered Legal Services Lawyer Program Contrary to popular belief, however, representation is not free. At the end of the performance, the NJOPD is legally required to collect an extremely reasonable fee from a client.
If the fee is not reimbursed by the client within 60 days of the client`s case being settled, the fee will be reduced to a judgment (lien). Out-of-State In-House Attorneys Program Individuals may also request representation in the following types of cases: Legal Specialist Continuing Legal Education (LSCLE) Credit and debit card payments: For credit or debit card payments, a 2.5% processing fee is added to all fees. If your credit or debit card transaction is declined, you will not be able to submit your application until you present another Mastercard, Visa, American Express or Discover card. Forms for organizations outside the Department of Justice can be found at Forms.gov. ACH Payment (E-Check): You can also make payments via ACH. There are no processing fees with ACH payments. You will need your sort code and account number. It takes seven days for ACH payments to be processed by our bank processor. If a payment is refunded for insufficient funds or declined for any reason within these seven days, your application will be considered incomplete until a replacement payment with late fees and service charges has been received.