The Office of First Defense provides Counsel at First Appearance for people arrested in Travis County who are magistrate under Article 15.17 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Magistration is the first step in the criminal legal process when an arrestee is taken before a Judge to have their bail and conditions for release set.
Explore the Office of First Defense
Background
The Attorneys and Staff of the Office of First Defense, alongside its other defense partners, work non-traditional hours, representing an average of 80 clients per day, 14,000 per year, seven days a week, including nights, weekends, and holidays. All of our attorneys go through a rigorous training process to ensure we provide quality, holistic, client-centered public defense. Hearings are held each day from 6:00 am until 11:00 pm at the Blackwell Thurman Justice Center.
The mission of the Office of First Defense is to provide quality, holistic, client-centered representation to every Arrestee during this crucial time in the legal process.
