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Robert W. Jones, Chief Public Defender
201 Poplar Ave., Room 201
Memphis, TN 38103
(901)545-5800
robert.jones@shelbycountytn.gov
About the Public Defender
Founded in 1917, the Shelby County Public Defender's Office is the oldest Public Defender's Office in Tennessee and the third oldest in the United States.
The purpose of this Office is to provide high quality legal representation to indigent clients in all criminal matters in the General Sessions Courts, Criminal Courts, and Circuit Courts of Shelby County, as well as the City Courts of Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, and Millington.
There are currently 68 attorneys employed at the Public Defender's Office. Together they handle over 25,000 cases each year. Indigent clients must be appointed a Public Defender or a private attorney by a Judge.
The Office is divided into four divisions; General Sessions attorneys, Criminal Court attorneys, Capital Defense attorneys, Mental Health attorneys, and those attorneys who handle appeals. There are additional attorneys who work in the suburban municipal courts.
The Office follows the philosophy that actual legal representation alone cannot satisfactorily address the conditions and problems that bring many of its clients into the criminal justice system. For this reason, the Office plays a pivotal role in developing programs designed to reduce and prevent recidivism.
The Shelby County Public Defender's Office is located on the second floor of the Shelby County Criminal Justice Complex, 201 Poplar Avenue. The office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Office of Public Defender is to provide high quality representation to indigent clients facing criminal charges in the various courts throughout Shelby County.
In addition to legal representation, the office also strives to:
(1) provide services to clients that address the underlying problems that may have led to their present legal circumstances; and
(2) work within the criminal justice system to make operational improvements. |
