Our Mission

The mission of the Federal Public Defender's Office is to ensure that the right to the effective assistance of counsel guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Criminal Justice Act (CJA), 18 U.S.C. § 3006A is enforced within the District of Arizona on behalf of those who are unable to afford retained counsel and other necessary defense services.

We subscribe to a client-centered approach to legal representation. We listen to our clients, pay close attention to their individual needs, and work closely with paralegals, investigators and social workers to address all aspects of a client’s circumstances. We use that knowledge together with our legal experience, skill and judgment to fight for our clients and obtain the best result possible.

I grew to like to defend men and women charged with crime... I was dealing with life, with its hopes and fears, its aspirations and despairs.  With me, it was going to the foundation of motive and conduct and adjustments for human beings, instead of blindly talking of hatred and vengeance, and that subtle, indefinable quality that men call 'justice' and of which nothing really is known. 

~ Clarence Darrow

National Federal Defenders - Fd.org