DEFENDING THE INDIGENT WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINAL: FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER DEFENSE STRATEGIES FOR POST-INDICTMENT REPRESENTATION

Research on white-collar criminal defense attorneys largely focuses on private attorneys. However, little is known about public defenders that represent individuals charged with white-collar crimes. In this research we conduct extensive interviews to explore the defense strategies that federal public defenders use to represent their white-collar clients. We discovered that each federal public defender relies on a devised strategy that helps them manage their case as well as their client. Specifically, we find that federal public defenders practice three defense strategies. Each defense strategy is based on the nature of the criminal accusations and the defense attorney's lawyering style.