Frequently Asked Questions

If you don’t know who your assigned PDP attorney is, please call 650-298-4000 and we will provide you with their name and contact information.

If you have an attorney, contact your attorney about getting back on the calendar. If you do not know who your attorney is or cannot reach your attorney, please call 650-298-4000 and ask for the attorney of the day.

If you have a bench warrant in a juvenile case, contact the juvenile office at 650-312-5396.

Please complete this form to provide feedback about your attorney directly to the PDP.

When the court appoints a private defender, the case will be sent to the PDP and we will assign you an attorney. If that attorney has your valid contact information, you should hear from them soon. However, if you have not heard from your attorney within one to two weeks after the appointment, please call us at 650-298-4000 and we will provide you with the contact information for your assigned attorney.

In Juvenile Court, an attorney is appointed soon after the filing of the petition and prior to the arraignment. Please contact the juvenile office at 650-312-5396 to get the name of your attorney.

Please complete this online form to provide feedback about your attorney directly to the PDP.

We encourage you to work with your attorney to try to resolve your concerns.

If you still want to ask for a new attorney, you may contact the PDP at 650-298-4000 and ask for the attorney of the day. Please provide information about your concerns to the attorney. If appropriate, they will direct your concerns to management. If the PDP denies your request for a new attorney, you can ask the court for a new attorney. Tell your attorney or the attorney of the day that you would like a Marsden motion, which is a hearing in which a judge will determine whether you should get a new attorney.

The PDP provides all our attorneys with access to support services such as investigators, social workers, expert witnesses, paralegals, immigration consultations, and Partners for Justice Advocates.

If you have questions about whether you are eligible for a PDP attorney before your case has been filed, please call 650-298-4000 and ask for the attorney of the day.

A child may be eligible for attorney consultation prior to charges being filed in juvenile court. Please contact the juvenile office at 650-312-5396 for additional information about your specific situation.

If your friend or family member is an adult, you may call 650-298-4000 and get the name and contact information for their attorney. You can contact the attorney and provide them the information you think is relevant to the case. Keep in mind, the attorney cannot discuss details of the case without a waiver from their client, so they may not be able to share all of the case details with you.

Most juvenile proceedings are confidential. Sharing information is restricted by the applicable sections of the Welfare and Institutions Code. For questions about which hearings may be open to the public, please call 650-312-5396.

In a “Managed Assigned Counsel” (MAC) system, an independent administrator manages a panel of private attorneys who are qualified to take court appointments, provides the attorneys with access to investigators and other resources, and oversees the quality of representation.

A MAC Program and a regular panel system both rely on private attorneys to handle court-appointed cases, but they differ in structure, oversight, and support.

In a regular panel system, courts assign cases directly to private attorneys from an approved list, often on a rotational basis. Attorneys work independently with minimal oversight, and while they may have access to some resources, they are generally responsible for handling cases without centralized support. Payment is typically administered by the court or another government entity, but there is little case management beyond ensuring assignments are made.

A MAC Program introduces centralized management to improve quality and efficiency. An independent office oversees case assignments, ensuring attorneys are qualified and workloads are well distributed. The program also provides access to support services such as investigators, social workers, and expert witnesses. The MAC office also monitors the quality of representation, offers training, and ensures attorneys have the resources they need to provide effective defense.

The Private Defender Program is a Managed Assigned Counsel (MAC) program. A Public Defender’s Office and a MAC program are both systems for providing indigent criminal defense, but they differ in structure and administration.

Public Defender’s Offices employ full-time attorneys who represent indigent clients, while MAC programs assign cases to private attorneys who contract with the program. The program ensures the attorneys have the support they need to represent their clients effectively and provides oversight to maintain high-quality legal defense throughout the process.

PDP attorneys are private attorneys with their own legal practices who take on assigned cases. We support these attorneys by providing access to investigators, social workers, client advocates, expert witnesses, and other ancillary services. We also oversee cases and offer ongoing education, training, and guidance to ensure the highest standard of representation. For more information on the managed assigned counsel approach, see below.

When the court appoints a private defender, the case will be sent to the PDP and we will assign you an attorney. If that attorney has your valid contact information, you should hear from them soon. However, if you have not heard from your attorney within one to two weeks after the appointment, please call us at 650-298-4000 and we will provide you with the contact information for your assigned attorney.

In Juvenile Court, an attorney is appointed soon after the filing of the petition and prior to the arraignment. Please contact the juvenile office at 650-312-5396 to get the name of your attorney.

Please contact your attorney to verify the exact date, time, and location of your court date. If you have any questions about how to do this or your attorney has not gotten back to you, please call us at 650-298-4000.

For Juvenile cases, please contact the Juvenile office at 650-312-5396 for more information.