How long it takes to have your first hearing - called an arraignment - depends on what part of New York you are in, and the court's caseload. You don't have control over it.
But you do have control over seeing a public defender, and you should do that immediately. A public defender may even be able to get your bail reduced, so you need to have one before you even post bail. This is assuming you can't afford to hire a private lawyer; the court will determine whether you qualify for a public defender, based on your income.
As soon as you are arrested, inform the police that you want a lawyer, and that you need a public defender because you can't afford to hire a private lawyer. You can even contact a public defender office before you are arrested, although they can't represent you until you are actually arrested.
Click the related link below to see links to all New York public defender offices. If you are already in custody, have a friend or family member do it for you. After you click the link, you'll see a list of legal aid and lawyer referral resources. Just look for "public defender" links. Use the "New York State Public Defender List" link in the statewide category, or scroll down to your county and look for a link to the local public defender office. Click one of those blue links to go to their website and get their contact info.
If the person is charged with a crime and the person meets certain income guidelines, he/she probably qualifies for the public defender.
Yes
No. I believe that the requirement for the appointment of a Public Defender is income-based.
The duration of The Public Defender is 1.15 hours.
The Public Defender was created on 1931-08-01.
Of course not! A public defender is paid by the public and represents the defendant.
In California, public defenders are assigned by the judge during the defendant's first court appearance, which is called an arraignment. Public defenders are only assigned to defendants who can't afford to hire a lawyer, so the defender has to complete a financial form. If the judge or the public defender determines that the defendant can't afford a lawyer, the judge will assign a public defender at that time. However, it is possible to obtain the services of a public defender before the arraignment. If the defendant is being questioned or put in a lineup, and can't afford a lawyer, the police will arrange for a public defender to be present, or allow the defendant to call the Public Defender's Office. If the defendant has been charged with a crime but is not in custody, he or she can visit the Public Defender's Office at any time. But the public defender assigned by the judge may not be the same person the defendant before arraignment. The first related link is the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office, which has good information about their process (click the FAQ menu item). Other county Public Defender offices may have different procedures. The second related link has links to all Public Defender offices in California.
The responibilities of a public defender in a courtroom is that they love to drink coffee.♥
I believe it can be helpful to have a public defender represent a person charged with disorderly conduct and worth it for the person charged, but it's not necessary as in mandatory.
In most states, you must petition the court if you want to change your public defender. That's because the court appoints the public defender, so only the court can make a change. That's true in California if your public defender is a court-appointed lawyer and not a member of the Public Defender's Office for your county. But in some California counties with large Public Defender's Offices, the office may let you switch lawyers. Napa County is an example; click the first related link and look for the answer to the question "I don't like my Deputy Public Defender. How do I get a new one?" You will have to check with your county's Public Defender Office. You can find their contact information at the second related link; just scroll down to your county and look for the "Public Defender" link.
If you are speaking of the arraignment hearing, no, it is not necessary to have hired an attorney in advance to represent you. Usually there will be a Public Defender present to advise you in the interim.
In Texas - or any other state - you can't change your public defender if you don't think he is doing a good job. Only the judge can change your public defender, so you would have to convince the judge that the public defender is not doing a good job. See the first related link below for an example of this from the Dallas County Public Defender's Office (scroll down to the question "Can I fire my Assistant Public Defender?"). I found this at the second related link, which has links to Public Defender offices in several counties; you can call those offices and ask about their local procedures.