A Commitment To Excellence

A Passion For Justice

DO I NEED A

PUBLIC Defender?

If you are under investigation for a federal offense or if you were contacted by a federal law enforcement agency or any other agency concerning a federal investigation or alleged crime that could be federal, you may need a Federal Community Defender:

Some of the federal agencies are the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Dept. of Justice (DOJ), Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Postal Inspector. In addition, if you were subpoenaed to appear in U.S. District Court, you may need a Federal Community Defender.

You have the right to speak to an attorney prior to questioning and you have the right to have an attorney with you during questioning. If you are contacted by any of these agencies, tell them that you are requesting an attorney and contact our office using the information provided on the home page.

WE CAN HELP

Case Questions

If you have a question concerning a case pending in the District Court, please contact us at (619) 234-8467 or toll-free at (888) 614-9867. Under our contract, FDSDI can only assist indigent persons within the Southern District of California (San Diego and Imperial counties). If you need to hire a lawyer or obtain legal advice, you should contact the bar association or a lawyer referral service for the State and County in which you live, or where your case is being heard.