Once your child appears in court, he/she will be appointed a Public Defender from the Public Defenders Office. The court will not allow your child to go through the proceedings unrepresented. Although this appears to be a “free” lawyer service, it is not. The county will bill you per appearance for their services.
If your child is in custody, you also will be billed by the county for each and every day spent in juvenile hall. If he/she becomes a ward of the court and placed on probation, you will be billed for the costs of probation supervision, including drug/alcohol testing, counseling, etc.
Not hiring an attorney can be a costly mistake. Errolcooklaw.com
