§ 62-29. Public defender and assistant.

(a)

There shall be a public defender, who shall be known as the public defender of the municipal court.

(b)

The duties of the public defender of the municipal court shall be the representation of, and the provision of legal services to, indigent defendants who are tried in the municipal court and the representation of, and provision of legal services to, indigent defendants who appear before the municipal court for commitment purposes, including all necessary pretrial preparation and interviews. In addition, the public defender is authorized to: provide legal services to indigent defendants who are detained in City of Atlanta detention facilities; provide assistance with jail discharge planning; assist with coordination of social services for defendants; and apply for grant funding on behalf of the city to support these efforts, pursuant to the city's Procurement Code.

(c)

There shall be one assistant public defender of the municipal court, whose starting salary shall be equal to the starting salary of the assistant solicitor.

(d)

The duties of the assistant public defender shall be the same as those of the public defender plus any additional judicial duties that the public defender, with the consent of the city council, may prescribe.

(Code 1977, § 3-1004; Ord. No. 2018-03(18-O-1045), § 2, 2-6-18 ; Ord. No. 2018-30(18-O-1400), § 1, 7-11-18 )

Charter reference

Public defender, § 4-111.

Cross reference

Officers and employees, § 2-781 et seq.