Public defender

[Kit]

A criminal defense lawyer appointed and paid to represent [indigent] persons charged with crimes. A public defender can either be a private attorney who accepts such cases and is compensated for each case, or a [salaried] attorney of a public defender agency. Also called [P.D].

[Sonia]

in the US and some other countries, a lawyer paid for by the government to represent an accused person who cannot pay for a private lawyer