Indigent Defense

Overview

The purpose of Indigent Defense is to serve and supply indigent defendants in pending criminal cases with legal counsel. This is accomplished by the completion of a financial legal affidavit by which indigence is determined. The Indigent Defense team provides the courts with the results of the interview with the appropriate orders for their signature and the filing of the same.

The Indigent Defense team serves Superior, State, Juvenile, and Magistrate Court.

Attorney Information

If you are a local criminal defense attorney interested in serving on our attorney panel, please email your resume to the Indigent Defense Director, Beth Holitzner, using the link email below. Your resume will be reviewed, and you can expect to be contacted within 7–10 business days.

How to Apply for an Attorney on an Open Case

All applicants must apply in person for an attorney through the Indigent Defense office located at the Hall County Courthouse on the second floor. Walk-in applicants are accepted from 8:00 - 4:30, Monday- Friday with a valid picture ID. Please note that only the defendant on the case can complete an application for an attorney.

How to Pay Your Felony Application Fee

Defendants may pay the felony application fee in person in our office with a credit card and matching photo ID. If you prefer, you may instead mail a money order made payable to the Hall County Board of Commissioners (if you have a Hall County case) or Dawson County Board of Commissioners (if you have a Dawson Case). All money orders must have a case number on the money order or included in the envelope to ensure proper case credit. Please mail to Indigent Defense Office, PO Box 1435, Gainesville, GA 30503. You will receive a receipt in the mail if your envelope is marked with a return address. 

Staff Contacts

Elisabeth Holitzner
Director
(770) 531-7087
Cyndi Hurst
Court Operations Division Director

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Frequently Asked Questions

Our goal is to provide the citizens of Hall and Dawson Counties the opportunity to apply for court appointed counsel for Criminal and Juvenile dependency matters.

  • Criminal matters pending in the Superior Court of Hall and Dawson County
  • Criminal matters pending in the State Court of Hall County
  • Criminal matters pending in the Magistrate Court of Hall County
  • Juvenile dependency and delinquency matters pending in the Juvenile court of Hall and Dawson County
  • Please visit our office on the 2nd floor of the Hall County Courthouse to apply in person.
  • For Dawson County Criminal matters, visit the Public Defender’s Office in Dawson County and you will be able to make application there (1 Courthouse Square, Dawsonville, GA 30534).
  • Application hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm.
  • The application takes approximately 30-45 minutes to fill out.
  • The person for which the charges are pending is the only one that can submit an application. If you need assistance, someone from our office will assist you with the paperwork.
  • Our office provides a Spanish interpreter onsite for applicants only. If you need an interpreter for the application process in any other language, please call our office and we will arrange for special interpretive services for the application process only. For other interpretive matters, please visit Interpretive Services Department.
  • You will get a letter in the mail updating you on the status of your application.
  • If you are denied a court appointed attorney, you can reapply after 60 days from your 1st application date if your financial situation has changed.
  • If you have a Superior Court case and you were denied, you may work on submitting your Pro Se packet provided to you when you applied in the Indigent Defense office. Once you have completed that packet, please return it in person to the Indigent Defense office in the Hall County Courthouse for review. THIS ONLY APPLIES TO CASES PENDING IN SUPERIOR COURT.
  • If you are in jail and your application was denied, your status will be revisited if you are still in jail after 30 days.
  • Any Civil matters: Divorces, Legitimations, custody, name changes, adoptions, evictions, personal civil matters, or if you are the victim in a criminal matter.
  • Appeals or motions to “withdraw plea” pending in State Court.
  • Charges pending in Gainesville Municipal Court, Oakwood, Flowery Branch, or other municipalities.
  • County ordinance violations.
  • Immigration matters.
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