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Legal Defender
Cochise County Legal Defender
The Cochise County Legal Defender has been assisting and defending the Accused in Cochise County for well over twenty years.
Attorneys from our office work closely with clients and strive to provide high-quality and competent representation, while respecting their dignity and protecting their rights. We are committed to advocating for the best possible outcome for our clients.
Our Attorneys and Administrative Staff are well trained, competent, and take pride in the service we provide to our community.
The Cochise County Legal Defender provides a wide array of services to our community, including but not limited to advocacy in criminal matters, probation revocations, juvenile delinquency and dependency matters, as well as mental health commitments, guardianships, extradition cases, criminal appeals, and post-conviction relief.
Appointment on any matter occurs when the Court has determined that someone is in need of an attorney, has the Constitutional right to have an attorney represent them, and that they are financially unable to hire their own counsel.
The types of cases the Legal Defender’s office are most often appointed and fall into the categories listed below:
Representation of persons facing serious felony level criminal charges. Allegations against our clients have included but are not limited to: dangerous drug cases; sexual offenses; domestic violence; and violent crimes, including and up to homicide.
Persons facing potential revocation of their probation are also entitled to representation, and we currently defend Petitions that the probation department may file to request the Court to revoke someone’s probation.
A Dependency matter is a court proceeding involving a minor child or children, typically in cases of allegations of abuse or neglect.
The first step of a Dependency case may begin with children being removed from their parents or guardians and placed in protective foster care. An investigation will take place to determine whether or under what circumstances the children can be safely returned to the home from which they were taken.
The Court ultimately determines whether the allegations of abuse or neglect concerning a child are sustained by the evidence and if so, are legally sufficient to support state intervention on behalf of the child or children.
Our office may represent a parent who is facing the removal of their child(ren) or we may represent the child or children who have been removed. This representation is determined on a case-by-case basis, and continues for the duration of the Dependency matter.
Our office represents individuals for whom Petitions for Court Ordered mental health treatment have been filed under Title 36 of the Arizona Revised Statutes.
A person may be petitioned for a court ordered evaluation and subsequent treatment when they are suffering an immediate mental health crisis and they are alleged to be temporarily unable or unwilling to engage in services voluntarily.
Our office occasionally will be appointed by the Court to represent a proposed or potential Ward’s in Petition that has been filed by someone seeking Guardianship over them.
Generally, a proposed Ward is alleged to be incapacitated for a number of reasons per statute and is need of someone to assist them in their daily life.
Representation includes reviewing investigation reports done by an independent party, reviewing medical records, and interviewing the parties involved, in order to determine the best interests, safety and welfare of the proposed Ward.
“Life and liberty can be as much endangered from illegal methods used to convict those thought to be criminals as from the actual criminals themselves” ~ Earl Warren, U.S. Supreme Court, 1891-1974
“Justice should remove the bandage from her eyes long enough to distinguish between the vicious and the unfortunate” ~ Robert Green Ingersoll, Atty; 1833-1899
“You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man’s freedom.” ~ Clarence Darrow, Atty; 1857-1938