Cambria County, PA Public Defender’s Office

The Cambria County Public Defender’s Office is located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It enables indigent persons to obtain representation free of charge in certain types of criminal cases involving the possibility of incarceration. Their office consists of a chief public defender and assistant public defenders, licensed attorneys the government pays to provide this type of representation. The office ensures that no defendant is denied their right to an attorney, which is provided under the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution. You generally do not have a right to choose your public defender. While you have a right to a court-appointed attorney, the Constitution does not provide a right to the specific court-appointed attorney of your choice. The judge usually will handle appointing the public defender’s office to represent a defendant, and then the office will determine the attorney who will handle the case. Public Defenders have an ethical responsibility to work for the best possible resolution of the case for the client. All dealings between a court-appointed attorney and the client are confidential. Individuals may contact the organization directly or work through an attorney for more information or to file a claim.