ABOUT
Our Mission
Fighting to uphold the dignity of our clients by protecting their fundamental rights and liberties through zealous, compassionate, and holistic defense services.
Our VISION
Justice. Growth. Reform.
Our VALUES
We are passionate public servants who are dedicated to ethical and inclusive justice. We are guided by these values: equity, empathy, innovation, and integrity.
HISTORY
The Law Office of the Public Defender for Montgomery County, Ohio evolved from an office first opened by John W. Kessler in 1972, called The Miami Valley Public Defender Project. In 1976, the Ohio General Assembly enacted a statutory mechanism to enable Ohio counties to establish an Office of the Public Defender as the most efficient means of meeting the requirements of the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution of the State of Ohio.
WHAT WE DO
- Felonies & Misdemeanors
We represent people charged with any level felony and/or with misdemeanors for which the sentence could result in a term of local jail incarceration. We also represent people who have out of state warrants and are subject to extradition. - Juvenile Delinquency
We represent juveniles with delinquency, traffic, truancy, and unruly charges. - Other Juvenile Court & Domestic Relations Court Cases
We represent adults who are held in contempt of a court order for non-payment of child support and who are facing jail time. We also represent adults charged in Juvenile Court with Child Endangering or Contributing to the Educational Neglect of a Child. - Indigent Adoptions
We represent adults involved in adoption proceedings through Probate Court who cannot afford representation. - Appeals
We represent individuals in direct appeals of felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile court decisions.
WHAT WE DON’T DO
- Small Claims or Civil Suits
- Evictions or Landlord/Tenant Disputes
- Civil Protection Orders
- Establishing Paternity, Establishing Child Support Orders, or Custody Arrangements
- Divorces
- Abuse, Neglect or Dependency Cases
- Guardian Ad Litem Work
COMMUNITY PARTNERS/ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Local
- Legal Aid of Western Ohio/Advocates for Basic Legal Equality
- Community Action Partnership
- Dayton Bar Association
State
National
- NACDL – National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- American Bar Assocation
- ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union
- NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- NAPD – National Association of Public Defenders
- BPDA – Black Public Defender Association
- NLADA – National Legal Aid and Defender Association
- Ohio Supreme Court
- Second District Court of Appeals, Ohio
- Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas
- Montgomery County Juvenile Court
- Dayton Municipal Court
- Kettering Municipal Court
- Miamisburg Municipal Court
- Montgomery County Municipal Court, Eastern and Western Divisions
- Oakwood Municipal Court
- Vandalia Municipal Court
