Attorney Information

The Court has an Appointed Counsel Program to assist the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office in representing indigent criminal defendants.

Attorney Qualifications

Ohio Administrative Code 120-1-10 sets forth the training and experience qualifications necessary for an attorney in Ohio to be appointed to represent indigent clients in criminal cases. An attorney who wishes to apply for the Court’s Appointed Counsel List should review Ohio Administrative Code 120-1-10 and Mont. Co. C.P.R. 8.08 prior to requesting placement on the list.

The Court requires that an attorney take the Criminal Law Certification Seminar sponsored by the Dayton Bar Association in order to be eligible for the Appointed Counsel List.

Application

To request placement on the Appointed Counsel List, an attorney must complete and submit the following Application for Appointed Counsel.

Application for Appointed Counsel

Compensation

Attorneys who act as appointed counsel are reasonably compensated according to the payment schedule established by the Montgomery County Board of County Commissioners. Compensation is dependent upon the timely submission by the attorney of the appropriate forms described below to the Court and Court approval of the fee. The current Montgomery County indigent fee resolution can be found here. In addition, please see Mont. Co. C.P.R. 8.09 (Appointed Counsel Compensation) for additional information regarding compensation.

In accordance with the Office of the Ohio Public Defender Standards and Guidelines for Appointed Counsel Reimbursement, the Court requires that each Motion, Entry, and Certification for Appointed Counsel Fees submitted for payment include a completed Financial Disclosure Form, and if applicable, a letter requesting extraordinary fees. If applicable, a separate Request for Court-Paid Expert Expenses must also be submitted to the Court and must be accompanied by all necessary Court orders approving the expenses. All forms must be submitted to the Court’s Appointed Counsel Specialist located in Room 103 of the Courthouse no later than the last day of the month following the month in which the case was finally disposed of or terminated.

Requests for compensation and reimbursements not in compliance with the Office of the Ohio Public Defender Standards and Guidelines for Appointed Counsel Reimbursement will not be accepted.

Please review the standards and guidelines and use the forms located here:  https://opd.ohio.gov/appointed-counsel/reimbursement.