Virginia guarantees a lawyer to people charged with crimes who cannot afford one. How that promise is delivered depends on where the case is filed. Some Virginia localities have a staffed public defender office. Others rely on private attorneys whom a judge appoints case by case. This page explains how the system is built, where our directory lists offices, and what to do if you or a relative needs one.

How Virginia Organizes Public Defender Services

Public defender offices in Virginia belong to a statewide system, not a patchwork of county departments. The General Assembly created the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission in 2004 to oversee them. The Commission sets standards and supports training, while a chief public defender leads each local office. Your county board of supervisors or city council does not run the office and does not decide who gets a lawyer.

The right itself comes from the Sixth Amendment and from Title 19.2 of the Code of Virginia, which covers criminal procedure. Section 19.2-159 of that title governs how a court decides whether a defendant is indigent. Three practical points follow from these rules:

Public defenders handle adult criminal cases in General District Court and Circuit Court. Many also appear in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, where delinquency charges against minors are heard. They do not handle divorces, custody disputes or evictions. For civil problems, contact a legal aid organization such as Legal Services of Northern Virginia or the Virginia Legal Aid Society.

Public Defender Offices Across Virginia's Regions

Our database lists offices in most major parts of the state. The experience differs a great deal between a dense metro courthouse and a small-town court.

Northern Virginia and the Piedmont fringe

The Alexandria Public Defender is at Ste 200, 132 N Royal St, and answers at 703-746-4477. The Arlington Public Defender is at 2300 North Clarendon Boulevard, phone 703-875-1111. Both serve compact jurisdictions with busy courthouses. You will find more on our City of Alexandria County, Arlington County and Fairfax County pages. Farther out, the Warrenton Public Defender at 16 Horner Street, 540-347-6390, is listed under Fauquier County.

Hampton Roads and the southeast

Hampton Roads has the densest cluster of offices in our data. Listings include Norfolk (Ste 600, 125 Saint Pauls Blvd, 757-314-2380), Virginia Beach (2425 George Mason Dr, 757-427-6050), Portsmouth (1 Guardian Ct, 757-396-6840) and Chesapeake (Ste 1, 524 Albemarle Dr, 757-382-0098). Hampton (12 W Queens Way, 757-727-4744) and Franklin (223 N Main St, 757-562-0665) complete the group. Each office works in its own city's courts, so the office in the city where you were charged is almost always the right one. See our Chesapeake County and Hampton County pages for more.

Central Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley and the Piedmont

Richmond (Ste 600, 701 E Franklin St, 804-225-3297) and Petersburg (105 Marshall St, 804-862-6286) cover the capital region. Lynchburg (725 Church Street, 434-947-2244), Bedford (202 North Bridge Street, 540-586-7977), Staunton (20 Byers St, 540-332-7845) and Winchester (117 East Piccadilly Street, 540-722-3450) serve the foothills and the valley. Our database also holds an entry named Virginia State Public Defender at 409 3rd Street Northeast in Charlottesville, 434-951-6300. Call first to confirm which office handles your case.

Southwest and Southside Virginia

Roanoke (210 Franklin Rd SW, 540-777-0880), Pulaski (58 North Washington Avenue, 540-994-5008), Martinsville (10 E Main St, 276-666-2206) and Danville (Ste 326, 105 S Union St, 434-791-5306) anchor this part of the state. South Boston (120 Edmunds Street, 434-476-4139) is listed under Halifax County. Offices here are smaller, and attorneys spend much of the day in court. Leave a clear voicemail with your name, charge, court date and a number where you can be reached.

Why some Virginia cities appear as counties

Virginia is unusual because its independent cities are legally separate from any county. Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk and Lynchburg do not sit inside a county. Our directory files each city under a matching county label for navigation, which is why you see names like City of Alexandria County. One caution applies to Franklin. The listing on N Main St, with a 757 area code, is in the independent city of Franklin, not Franklin County near Rocky Mount. Check the address before you drive anywhere.

Who Qualifies for a Public Defender in Virginia

The court decides eligibility. You complete a financial statement under oath listing your income, assets and debts. The judge compares your finances with guidelines linked to the federal poverty level, and has some discretion beyond the numbers. Lying on the form is a serious offense, so be accurate and bring documents.

The kind of charge matters too. For misdemeanors, appointed counsel is tied to the possibility of jail. Class 1 misdemeanors in Virginia carry up to 12 months in jail, and charges such as DUI and reckless driving fall in that class. A simple traffic infraction with only a fine does not come with a court-appointed lawyer.

Meeting a public defender costs nothing up front. If you are convicted, however, the court may order you to pay costs, which can include a fee for appointed counsel. Ask your lawyer before sentencing what to expect. If a judge finds you do not qualify, you may hire a private attorney, and you can ask the court to look again if your finances change.

First Steps After an Arrest or Summons in Virginia

After an arrest, a magistrate usually decides on bail. You then appear before a judge, often at the next court session, and that is the moment to say you need a court-appointed lawyer. If you received a summons and were not taken into custody, do not wait for the hearing. Call the office nearest the court named on your paperwork as early as you can, because appointment often happens at the first hearing.

Bring or gather these items for your first meeting:

Do not discuss the case with police, other inmates or friends on a jail phone. Calls from jail can be recorded. Never skip a court date, because a missed appearance can bring a new charge and an arrest warrant, no matter how strong your defense is.

Public defender services in Virginia are organized either through a statewide public defender commission or at the county level, depending on the state's approach to indigent defense. Virginia's system determines how public defender offices are funded, staffed, and assigned, which can affect caseloads and services available at each location.

Public Defenders locations are available in 24 cities across Virginia. They are spread across 24 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of public defender offices include Warrenton, Petersburg, Staunton, where larger court systems generate higher volumes of criminal cases requiring public defense services.

Defendants in Virginia who believe they qualify for a public defender should not attempt to represent themselves in criminal proceedings. Requesting appointed counsel at your first court appearance is your constitutional right, and the process for establishing eligibility is handled by the court.

Public Defenders by Counties

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Individuals in Virginia who are assigned a public defender should make every scheduled court date, stay in contact with their assigned attorney, and promptly provide any information or documentation their attorney requests. If you cannot reach your public defender, contact the main office directly to ensure your case is properly managed before any upcoming hearings.

Browse Public Defenders by county across Virginia to find the nearest location.

Using the Virginia Public Defender Listings Effectively

Start with the courthouse, not the office. In Virginia, the lawyer you need is tied to the court where your case is filed. A person arrested in Virginia Beach but living in Roanoke should call the Virginia Beach Public Defender at 757-427-6050, not the Roanoke office. The summons or bond paperwork names the court, and the court names the city or county.

Phone numbers and addresses in our directory come from public records. They can change when an office moves or a court reorganizes. Before you travel, call to confirm hours and ask whether the office takes walk-ins or prefers appointments.

Keep a folder with every paper you receive, and write down each court date the moment a judge sets it. Family members can help by gathering documents and passing on messages. The defendant still makes the decisions, and attorneys may not share details with relatives without the client's permission.

Virginia Public Defender FAQs

The Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, created by the General Assembly in 2004, oversees the state's public defender offices and sets standards for them. A chief public defender leads each local office, which handles cases in its own courts. Our database also contains an entry named Virginia State Public Defender at 409 3rd Street Northeast in Charlottesville, phone 434-951-6300. Because the name is general, call before visiting and ask whether that office will take your case or send you to the one serving the court where you were charged.

Tell the judge at your first court appearance, usually the arraignment or bail hearing, that you cannot afford counsel. The court will ask you to complete a financial statement under oath describing income, assets and expenses. The judge then decides whether you qualify under Virginia's indigency rules. If you do, the court appoints the local public defender or, where no office exists, a private attorney. You can also call the nearest office before the hearing to ask how appointments work in that courthouse. Bring pay stubs or benefit letters.

Often, yes. Appointed counsel in misdemeanor cases applies when jail is a possible penalty. Class 1 misdemeanors carry up to 12 months in jail, and DUI and reckless driving fall in that class. A simple traffic infraction with only a fine is different, because it is not a crime and does not come with appointed counsel. If your summons lists a misdemeanor, raise the question of appointment at the first hearing. If you are unsure how your ticket is classified, the clerk of the court can tell you.

Not every Virginia locality has an office. Where none serves the court, the judge appoints a private attorney from a list of lawyers qualified to take indigent cases, and the state pays that lawyer under statutory fee caps. You apply the same way, by asking the court at your first appearance. Call the clerk of the circuit or general district court named on your paperwork to learn how appointments are handled there. A locality with no listing in our directory may rely on this appointed-counsel system.

Working with a public defender costs nothing up front. You pay no retainer and no hourly rate. However, Virginia courts can assess costs against a person who is convicted, and those costs may include a fee for court-appointed counsel. The court sets the amount and payment terms, and they depend on the charge. The clerk's office can explain how to arrange payment. Ask your lawyer before sentencing what costs to expect so there are no surprises, and keep a receipt for every payment you make.

Children charged with delinquent acts have a right to a lawyer. Those cases are heard in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the city or county. Many public defender offices represent juveniles, but call to confirm how your local office handles them. Parents should bring the petition or summons, the hearing date and any school records tied to the charge. The judge decides who qualifies for appointed counsel. Your child should not discuss the case with police or school officials until a lawyer has been consulted.

Call the office for the court where the case was filed. Appointment follows the court, not your home address. A Roanoke resident charged in Winchester, for example, would deal with the Winchester Public Defender at 117 East Piccadilly Street, phone 540-722-3450. You are responsible for getting to court dates, so ask early whether some meetings can happen by phone or video. If you move after being charged, tell your lawyer and the clerk right away so notices reach you.