Photo by Mary McFadden/NHI
Public defenders at an outdoor event in New Haven in September.
DERBY — Public defenders will be accepting applications for their services at an outdoor event scheduled for today (Wednesday, Oct. 7) at Superior Court in Derby (106 Elizabeth St).
The attorneys will be taking applications from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The Derby court has been closed for months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Local cases are being heard in Milford.
“You don’t have to wait for your court date. Apply for a public defender at outdoor events scheduled at courthouses across Connecticut,” the public defender’s office said in a prepared statement.
The public defenders will be taking applications for pending cases happening at any court in the state, with any public defender-eligible docket number.
A complete schedule of the sign-up events is available here.
The court system is facing a backlog of cases due to buildings being closed. Public defenders are designed to provide legal representation to people who can not afford to hire lawyers.
Anyone showing up seeking a public defender today in Derby must qualify for the service. The public defenders on site will then start an intake process that includes collecting information about the individual’s case.
Click here to read about an outdoor sign-up that happened in New Haven in September.
Click here for a Valley Indy podcast interview from April featuring Derby public defender Jonathan Gable.
