Randall L Vonderheide PC - Logo

Attorney at Law

Phone: (765) 423-2557

Fax: (765) 423-4544

300 Main Street, Suite #500
Lafayette, IN 47901

What is a Public Defender?


A public defender is a state appointed attorney that represents you if you are charged with a crime and cannot afford to hire a private attorney. Public defenders have a bad reputation. However, there are good public defenders and bad public defenders. Because of the respect judges have for our abilities as criminal defense attorneys, we are frequently asked by judges to serve as special public defenders when the regular public defender has a conflict with a case. On one occasion, Steven Knecht obtained a not guilty verdict on a rape charge when he was appointed during the middle of the alleged victim’s cross examination and given only 30 minutes to prepare before the judge restarted the jury trial.

If you are accused of a crime and want the best attorney to represent you, then you should look into the credentials of the lawyer. How many criminal cases have they taken to trial? How long have they been doing criminal defense? Hiring the right lawyer for your case is one of the most monumental decisions of your life. Few lawyers in Indiana have the skill, knowledge and experience as our lawyers, whether they are public defenders or private counsel. Steven Knecht has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers and the American Academy of Trial Lawyers as one of the premier 100 trial lawyers in Indiana and has been handling criminal cases for 32 years.

Do not get stuck on the side of the courtroom with the wrong lawyer. Most attorneys just dabble in criminal defense or do not have the respect of the prosecutor or judge. Retain our experienced and respected attorneys today.

Filed to Ask a Lawyer, Criminal Defense

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