King County Department of Public Defense, WA

The King County Department of Public Defense is headquartered in Seattle, WA. The Department of Public Defense (DPD) provides legal representation to adults and juveniles who have been charged with a crime and cannot afford an attorney. In addition, they represent people facing civil commitment, parents who could lose their children in a dependency action, and family members in inquest proceedings. DPD has four divisions, each one staffed and housed separately and employing public defenders able to provide legal services. Cases are assigned to a division based on the type of charge. The DPD provides attorneys to people who are financially eligible and who are facing certain kinds of criminal and civil proceedings. Generally, the Department of Public Defense provides attorneys to people who have been charged with a crime and face the possibility of jail time, people who could lose their children due to a dependency action, people who face involuntary commitment to a mental health facility, people with outstanding warrants in any King County court, youth who have been charged with an offense or face certain civil proceedings, people who face contempt of court for failure to pay child support and people who face civil commitment as sexually violent predators. For further information, please contact the King County's DPD.