All people,
regardless of their means, deserve fair and equal justice.

Request for
Public Defender Services

Use this simple request form to determine if you meet the qualifications for representation by a Public Defense Attorney.

Know Your Rights

If you don’t know your rights, you might not know if they are violated. If you are not informed that you have a right to not make statements against your own interest, then you may well make a statement that could later send you to jail.

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Court Procedure

A lack of knowledge about this process can cause undue anxiety for you during an already stressful time. Many people arrested for first-time criminal offenses believe that they will be going to trial on their first hearing date. In actuality, the first hearing date for any criminal case will be an arraignment, where a person begins the judicial process by entering a preliminary plea of guilty or not guilty. A trial doesn’t occur until after multiple court dates and a very specific procedure.
If you understand the process, you can build a good working relationship with your attorneys and be more prepared for the path ahead.

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DRUG COURT

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FAMILY INTERVENTION COURT

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Fenwick A. Swann, III
District Public Defender

From his first job as a lifeguard, Fen Swann has always been someone with an eye toward protecting others. During that time, he realized that without expert assistance, some people could be in danger of losing their lives. He then served in the United States Army, and the Louisiana National Guard.

He received his first crash course in the interconnections of generational poverty, drugs, victimization, and crime in Criminal District Court in New Orleans. This experience left an indelible mark and an appreciation of the need for quality representation for all accused persons.

He served as a Felony Public Defender in St. Charles Parish since 1999, and was appointed District Public Defender by the Louisiana Public Defender Board in 2020.

Attorneys

COMMUNITY
ORIENTED
DEFENSE

Community Oriented Defense is both philosophy and a specific program. The approach is to engage community stakeholders (Judiciary, Defense, Prosecution, and Social Services) in an effort to address the causes of criminal activity and attempt to eliminate reoffending.