About Us
| How to Reach Us | Office Hours | Types of Cases Handled | Eligibility | How to Request Counsel | Multiple Defendant Cases | Contacting Your Attorney |
The Federal Defender Office for the Eastern District of Michigan strives:
 | ... to provide vigorous and high quality representation to indigent defendants in Federal Court; |
| ... to foster and promote the high standards and ideals
engendered by the Bill of Rights and the Criminal Justice Act; |
| ... to ensure that justice in the federal courts is
administered to all persons on a fair and equal basis; and |
| ... to advance the effectiveness of the federal legal
system through excellence in legal scholarship and through on-going education and training of the criminal defense bar. |
How to Reach Us
| Detroit Office | Flint Office |
| Federal Defender Office 5th Floor 613 Abbott Detroit, MI 48226 Voice: 313-967-5542 |
Federal Defender Office 653 S. Saginaw Street Suite 105 Flint, MI 48502 Voice: 810-232-3600 |
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Office Hours
The office hours of the Federal Defender Office are 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday.
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Types of Cases Handled
The Federal Defender Office provides criminal defense representation in federal court for felony, misdemeanor, appellate and post-conviction matters. Representation is provided from the initial court appearance through the entire appellate process, which includes the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. The office is not permitted to provide legal representation without an Order of Appointment from the U.S. District Court.
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Eligibility
Any person charged or being investigated for a federal crime in the U.S. District Court who is financially unable to afford to hire an attorney may request the services of a court-appointed attorney under the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. 3006A.
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How To Request Counsel
To request court-appointed counsel, a person must complete and submit a Financial Affidavit. This is usually done at the initial court appearance, the first time a person appears before a presiding magistrate judge or district court judge in the U.S. District Court for a federal court proceeding. The Financial Affidavit requests disclosure of certain financial information to aid the court in determining eligibility for court-appointed counsel. Once approved, the Court enters an Order appointing the Federal Defender Office and referring the case for representation. The Federal Defender Office is appointed to represent all Criminal Justice Act (CJA) cases in the U.S. District Courts in Detroit, Flint, Ann Arbor and Bay City, Michigan.
If an individual has been advised by a federal law enforcement official or agency to seek the advice of counsel prior to any court appearance, the Pretrial Services Agency, located at Room 342 of the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse, 231 W. Lafayette, Detroit, Michigan 48226, should be contacted immediately to request court-appointed counsel. Please have available any letters, paperwork, or business cards, received regarding any federal investigation. Pretrial Services will provide a Financial Affidavit and forward it to the presiding magistrate judge for the appointment of counsel.
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Multiple Defendant Cases
If more than one person is charged or being investigated in a particular case, the Federal Defender Office will only represent one defendant. The remaining individuals will be assigned to private attorneys on the CJA Panel Attorney Program for the Eastern District of Michigan, if they qualify for court-appointed counsel. The Federal Defender Office administers the CJA Panel Attorney Program, which is a panel of private, qualified federal criminal law practitioners approved by the U.S. District Court to handle court-appointed cases.
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Contacting Your Attorney
Once the Federal Defender Office is appointed, you may call the office within 24 hours at (313) 967-5542 to find out the name of the attorney assigned to a case. The attorney who provides assistance at the initial court appearance may not be the attorney assigned to the case. The case may be assigned to another attorney within the office or to a private attorney on the CJA Panel Attorney Program.
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