Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer. (Wikipedia)

These fees push poor people to waive counsel, a right under the Sixth Amendment, and plead guilty, whether they committed a crime or not. In Michigan, the threat of paying the full cost of employing a public defender resulted in “misdemeanor defendants systematically waiving their right to counsel – at a rate of 95 percent in one county.” (counterpunch)

A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various jurisdictions with criminal courts for appointment to represent indigent persons; the latter are generally called public defenders. (Wikipedia)

A criminal defense lawyer is a type of attorney who specializes in the defense of clients who have been charged with a crime. Different jurisdictions employ defense lawyers to represent individuals who cannot afford a private attorney. They are called public defenders. (Lawyer Blogs)