Certification of Appointed Counsel

In 2010 the Washington State Supreme Court amended statewide trial court procedural rules, providing that:  "Before appointing a lawyer for an indigent person, or at the first appearance of the lawyer in the case, the court shall require the lawyer to certify to the court that he or she complies with the applicable Standards for Indigent Defense Services"  (CrR 3.1(d)(4), CrRLJ 3.1(d)(4) and JuCR 9.2(d)(1).  In 2012 the Court adopted the Standards for Indigent Defense as referenced in the previously amended Court Rules. 

For more information, go to the Washington State Office of Public Defense website: https://opd.wa.gov/attorneys/standards-indigent-defense

The King County Superior Court Clerk has provided an eForm template within the Clerk's E-Filing Application to facilitate attorneys' quarterly e-filing of the required "Certification of Appointed Counsel of Compliance with Standards Required by CrR 3.1 / CrRLJ 3.1 / JuCR 9.2."

How to file a Certification of Appointed Counsel:

1. Log into the Clerk's eFiling Application
2. Click on the "Use eForm Template" process link.
3. Enter the Clerk's Public Defenders Certification Repository case number (above).
4. From the "Select a Template" drop-down, choose the "Certification of Defense/Appointed Counsel" template.
5. Click on the "Enter Data" tab and complete the data fields.
6. Click on the "View Document" tab to review information entered.
7. Click "Save".
8. When the form is complete and saved, click the "Proceed to E-File" button and follow through with the e-filing process.
9. Upon filing, retain a copy of the document filed and confirmation of filing for your records.