Victimized by the Public Defender When working with a public defender, you should research and follow the guidelines that accompany your charge. You need to learn how the justice system works. Lawyers hired by the court to represent low- and middle-income people are lazy in their work. There are many reasons why public defenders do not do their best for their clients involved in court cases. The preliminary hearing is usually held within a week of the date you committed the offense. Did you know that if you cannot afford a lawyer, the court will appoint one for you? The law states that you must be represented by an attorney during your trial unless you sign a waiver not to have an attorney at all. People are represented in court by two types of attorneys: public defenders and public defenders. , which means “engaged lawyers” (Green, 2001). People with higher incomes can hire their own lawyers. People with low and middle incomes are mainly those who use court-appointed lawyers. These people don't have the money to hire a lawyer. Public defenders do not work in your best interest for many reasons. Salary is one reason why public defenders do not go beyond their duty to their clients. Studies show that on average, people will receive harsher or longer sentences if they are represented by a court-appointed attorney rather than a public defender (Green, 2001). Public defenders are paid by the state on a case-by-case basis. The salary of a public defender varies depending on the offense. The defense attorney will typically only be paid between 112.00 and 326.00 for normal lower class cases. A sentence of more than twenty years in prison can result in up to 1,196.00 for the court-appointed attorney (Green, 2001). Public defenders or “hired attorneys” are salaried employees of the state. If you hire an attorney, they typically charge around 55.00 per hour in court for their work and 75.00 per hour outside of court (Green, 2001). The numbers clearly show the magnitude of the differences between the income of each type of lawyer. Public defenders will not work more than their salary allows them.