Public Defense divisions

The Department of Public Defense (DPD) has 4 divisions. Each are staffed and housed separately. The public defenders in these divisions are able to provide legal services to our clients.

These 4 divisions handle about 90 percent of King County's public defense cases; the rest go to the assigned counsel panel.

Cases are assigned to a division based upon the type of charge. Some divisions are only in certain courts or handle a particular case type. Clients are also screened to guard against conflicts with the divisions. Every effort is taken to avoid conflicts between attorneys and their clients. Attorneys are not permitted to represent a client who was a witness, victim, or co-defendant on a previous case the attorney represented.

If you have been assigned to a division by a DPD screener, wait 4 business days from the date of screening before calling the division to find out the name of your attorney. If you don't know to which division you were assigned, call DPD at 206-296-7662.