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Office of the Public Defender, Lehigh County>

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Public Defender

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Public Defender FAQs
Overview of the Criminal Court System in Pennsylvania
Overview of Juvenile System in Lehigh County
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English Online Application

English Online Application for Public Defender

Application Processing

Please allow 5-7 business days for processing of your application!
¡Por favor, espere de 5 a 7 días para el procesamiento de su solicitud!

Solicitud para Defensor Público

Office of the Public Defender

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER
LEHIGH COUNTY COURTHOUSE
455 HAMILTON ST RM 615
ALLENTOWN, PA 18101-1602

TEL: 610-782-3157
FAX: 610-820-3154
E-mail: GeneralPublicDefender@LehighCounty.org

Monday thru Friday: 8:00AM-4:30PM

KIMBERLY F. MAKOUL, ESQUIRE
CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER

Mission Statement: The Public Defender endeavors to protect the rights of our clients by providing vigorous, compassionate and ethical legal representation to individuals who can not afford to pay for an attorney. Our highly trained and motivated staff of licensed attorneys are committed to excellence and progressive representation at the cutting edge of Pennsylvania criminal practice.

About the Office: We represent eligible individuals in all misdemeanors and felonies, excluding ARD eligible Driving Under the Influence charges. We also will represent juveniles in delinquency matters, as well as individuals charged with Driving with a Suspended license-DUI related, involuntary mental health commitments, and any other matter where representation is constitutionally required. Our staff is comprised of 19 attorneys, 2 investigators and 4 administrative assistants. Our office strives to meet the needs of our clients and to protect their civil liberties under both the United States and the Pennsylvania Constitutions.

APPLYING FOR A PUBLIC DEFENDER

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS NEEDED WHEN APPLYING FOR A PUBLIC DEFENDER

When applying for a Lehigh County Public Defender, using the online Application (links to the left & below), applicants are required to have their Police Criminal Complaint and one or more of the following documents. These documents will need to be uploaded during the application process:

Police Criminal Complaint - REQUIRED

One or more of the following:

At least 1 recent pay stub, but you may upload up to 4 recent pay stubs.
Letter from last employer verifying termination.
Check stub or letter from Unemployment stating benefit amount.
Social Security Benefits Verification letter or a copy of most recent check.
Court order showing amount of child support paid/received.
Letter from Drug Rehabilitation/Mental Health Facility stating I am in an in-patient program and not currently able to work.

Please allow 5-7 business days for processing of your application!

Online Application for Public Defender Solicitud para Defensor Público

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