I’m losing my mind here. My loved one turned himself in like 2 weeks ago because he didn’t know about a court date and wanted to do the right thing. But we still haven’t even gotten a court date, and the public defender is just… nothing. I’ve called their office, and the girl who answered couldn’t help at all. It’s been 14 days and still nothing from the attorney. I have kids, a full-time job, and this whole situation is draining me. The phone calls and money for books alone are killing me. I’m ready to hire a lawyer, but I can’t just drop a big lump sum of cash. Anyone else dealt with something like this? What can I even do here?
Yeah, that sounds rough. I think you might wanna try writing a formal letter or email directly to the public defender’s office. Like, just lay out everything clearly and ask for a timeline or what they’re even doing to help. Sometimes making a paper trail helps.
@Tan
That’s a good idea. Do you think an email would work just as well as a letter?
@Tan
Yeah, totally. I think an email should be fine, especially if you copy like a supervisor or someone higher up.
Man, I had the same thing happen before. Public defenders are so overworked. If you can, try calling and asking to set up a specific time to talk to the lawyer. Like an actual scheduled call or meeting. They’re more likely to respond when they know it’s planned.
@Haven
I’ve tried calling, but I guess I didn’t think about setting something up officially. That’s worth a shot, thanks!
If you’re not getting any help, you might wanna contact a supervisor at the public defender’s office. They’re supposed to make sure everyone’s doing their job, so it could help push things along.
Emerson said:
If you’re not getting any help, you might wanna contact a supervisor at the public defender’s office. They’re supposed to make sure everyone’s doing their job, so it could help push things along.
Yeah, agreed. A lot of times, supervisors have more power to get things moving. Definitely worth a try.
Just curious, but have you thought about reaching out to another lawyer and seeing if they’d do some kind of payment plan? A lot of them will work with you if you can’t pay everything upfront.
Sam said:
Just curious, but have you thought about reaching out to another lawyer and seeing if they’d do some kind of payment plan? A lot of them will work with you if you can’t pay everything upfront.
I haven’t really looked into it yet. But at this point, I feel like that might be the only option. I’ll try reaching out to a few and see what they say.
Sam said:
Just curious, but have you thought about reaching out to another lawyer and seeing if they’d do some kind of payment plan? A lot of them will work with you if you can’t pay everything upfront.
Yeah, definitely ask around. Some lawyers are flexible, especially if you explain the situation.
Wait, what’s a paper trail? 
Uma said:
Wait, what’s a paper trail?
Basically just having proof of what you’ve been trying to do. Like emails, letters, anything that shows you’ve been trying to reach out and get things moving.
Uma said:
Wait, what’s a paper trail?
Gotcha, thanks! Makes sense now. That’s actually smart.