Hiring a Criminal Defense Lawyer in Georgia

How criminal defense lawyers in Georgia charge, your right to a court-appointed lawyer, how bail works, how to check a lawyer's license, and free help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.

What a lawyer costs in Georgia: fee rules

If you disagree with a lawyer's bill	The State Bar of Georgia's Fee Arbitration Program handles fee disputes between lawyers and clients (and between lawyers). It is free to clients and lawyers in attorney/client disputes. Participation is a choice, but the program offers only binding arbitration, so both sides agree to be bound by the award. Most hearings use a panel of two lawyers and one non-lawyer. Start with a Petition for Fee Arbitration. Phone: 404-527-8750. Source: State Bar of Georgia, Fee Arbitration
If a lawyer takes your money	The State Bar of Georgia Clients' Security Fund, created in 1968, can reimburse eligible clients who lost money through a Georgia lawyer's dishonest conduct in a lawyer-client relationship. The lawyer must have been disbarred, indefinitely suspended or voluntarily surrendered the license (unless deceased). Malpractice and insured or bonded losses are excluded. There is no fixed cap on the page: the Board of Trustees sets amounts based on available funds, number of claims and work the lawyer actually did, and claims are typically not paid in full. Apply no later than two years after the Supreme Court of Georgia's final disciplinary action; no filing fee is listed. Source: State Bar of Georgia, Clients' Security Fund

If you disagree with a lawyer's bill

The State Bar of Georgia's Fee Arbitration Program handles fee disputes between lawyers and clients (and between lawyers). It is free to clients and lawyers in attorney/client disputes. Participation is a choice, but the program offers only binding arbitration, so both sides agree to be bound by the award. Most hearings use a panel of two lawyers and one non-lawyer. Start with a Petition for Fee Arbitration. Phone: 404-527-8750.

Source: State Bar of Georgia, Fee Arbitration

If a lawyer takes your money

The State Bar of Georgia Clients' Security Fund, created in 1968, can reimburse eligible clients who lost money through a Georgia lawyer's dishonest conduct in a lawyer-client relationship. The lawyer must have been disbarred, indefinitely suspended or voluntarily surrendered the license (unless deceased). Malpractice and insured or bonded losses are excluded. There is no fixed cap on the page: the Board of Trustees sets amounts based on available funds, number of claims and work the lawyer actually did, and claims are typically not paid in full. Apply no later than two years after the Supreme Court of Georgia's final disciplinary action; no filing fee is listed.

Source: State Bar of Georgia, Clients' Security Fund

Georgia rules to know first

Getting a court-appointed lawyer	Applicants must complete and sign an application and verification and are interviewed at the detention center or the public defender's office. Income standards under O.C.G.A. § 17-12-2, as stated by the public defender office: for misdemeanors, probation violations and county or municipal offenses, a person who 'earns less than 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines'; for juveniles, those 'whose parents earn less than 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines'; for felonies, 'less than 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines' — each with an exception for people with other resources that could reasonably pay for a lawyer, and no one with income above 150 percent of the federal poverty level is considered indigent. Application fee: Georgia law requires every person who applies for public defense services 'to pay the Public Defender Office a single fee of $50'; 'The court shall waive this fee if it finds that you are unable to pay the fee or that hardship will result if the fee is charged.' Attorney fees for court-appointed representation may also be imposed by the court at sentencing. Fee notice: https://publicdefender.chathamcountyga.gov/Application Source: O.C.G.A. §§ 15-21A-6(b), 17-12-2 (as quoted by the Chatham County Public Defender Office, Eastern Judicial Circuit)
Felony classes and sentences	Georgia does not sort felonies into numbered classes or degrees. The code defines a felony as 'a crime punishable by death, by imprisonment for life, or by imprisonment for more than 12 months,' and each crime's own statute sets its prison range. For example, theft of property worth more than $24,999.99 is punished 'by imprisonment for not less than two nor more than 20 years' (§ 16-8-12(a)(1)(A)), and possession of less than 1 gram of a Schedule I or narcotic Schedule II drug 'by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than three years' (§ 16-13-30(c)). Read on codes.findlaw.com (a public copy of the official code); check against the official code. Source: O.C.G.A. §§ 16-1-3 (definition of felony); 16-8-12(a)(1)(A); 16-13-30(c)

Getting a court-appointed lawyer

Applicants must complete and sign an application and verification and are interviewed at the detention center or the public defender's office. Income standards under O.C.G.A. § 17-12-2, as stated by the public defender office: for misdemeanors, probation violations and county or municipal offenses, a person who 'earns less than 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines'; for juveniles, those 'whose parents earn less than 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines'; for felonies, 'less than 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines' — each with an exception for people with other resources that could reasonably pay for a lawyer, and no one with income above 150 percent of the federal poverty level is considered indigent. Application fee: Georgia law requires every person who applies for public defense services 'to pay the Public Defender Office a single fee of $50'; 'The court shall waive this fee if it finds that you are unable to pay the fee or that hardship will result if the fee is charged.' Attorney fees for court-appointed representation may also be imposed by the court at sentencing.

Fee notice: https://publicdefender.chathamcountyga.gov/Application

Source: O.C.G.A. §§ 15-21A-6(b), 17-12-2 (as quoted by the Chatham County Public Defender Office, Eastern Judicial Circuit)

Felony classes and sentences

Georgia does not sort felonies into numbered classes or degrees. The code defines a felony as 'a crime punishable by death, by imprisonment for life, or by imprisonment for more than 12 months,' and each crime's own statute sets its prison range. For example, theft of property worth more than $24,999.99 is punished 'by imprisonment for not less than two nor more than 20 years' (§ 16-8-12(a)(1)(A)), and possession of less than 1 gram of a Schedule I or narcotic Schedule II drug 'by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than three years' (§ 16-13-30(c)).

Read on codes.findlaw.com (a public copy of the official code); check against the official code.

Source: O.C.G.A. §§ 16-1-3 (definition of felony); 16-8-12(a)(1)(A); 16-13-30(c)

Full Georgia guide

Find and check a lawyer

Lawyer referral service	The State Bar of Georgia says it "is not able to directly refer clients to lawyers." It offers the ReliaGuide Enhanced Directory to search for lawyers by type of law, and points people to the referral services run by many local and voluntary bar associations (it links a list of referral services that comply with Bar Rule 7.3(c)(2)). Source: State Bar of Georgia, Find a Lawyer
Check that the lawyer is licensed	The State Bar of Georgia offers an online Member Directory with basic and advanced search for looking up Georgia lawyers. Source: State Bar of Georgia, Member Directory
Check discipline history or file a complaint	Grievances about Georgia lawyers are filed online with the State Bar of Georgia's Office of the General Counsel (OGC). An OGC attorney reviews each grievance to see whether it shows a possible violation of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct; grievances outside its jurisdiction or without sufficient evidence or merit are dismissed. If a possible violation appears, the grievance is sent to the lawyer for a response, and those that appear to involve a violation go to the State Disciplinary Board for investigation. The lawyer will likely see what you submit. State Bar: 104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30303; 404-527-8700 or 800-334-6865. Online grievance portal: https://portals.georgiabar.org/ogc/grievance Source: State Bar of Georgia, Office of the General Counsel - File a Grievance

Free legal help

Free legal aid	Georgia's LSC-funded legal aid organizations are Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Georgia Legal Services Program, which give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. The State Bar of Georgia points people to GeorgiaLegalAid.org for a complete directory of civil legal assistance programs, and to the Pro Bono Resource Center (co-sponsored by Georgia Legal Services Program and the State Bar) at 404-527-8763. The Bar warns that many businesses advertise "legal aid" online, so ask whether a service is free. Bar page: https://www.gabar.org/public/legal-aid---pro-bono-resource-center Source: Legal Services Corporation, Our Grantees; State Bar of Georgia, Legal Aid/Pro Bono Resource Center

Free legal aid

Georgia's LSC-funded legal aid organizations are Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Georgia Legal Services Program, which give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people. The State Bar of Georgia points people to GeorgiaLegalAid.org for a complete directory of civil legal assistance programs, and to the Pro Bono Resource Center (co-sponsored by Georgia Legal Services Program and the State Bar) at 404-527-8763. The Bar warns that many businesses advertise "legal aid" online, so ask whether a service is free.

Bar page: https://www.gabar.org/public/legal-aid---pro-bono-resource-center

Source: Legal Services Corporation, Our Grantees; State Bar of Georgia, Legal Aid/Pro Bono Resource Center

All legal help in Georgia · Background guide

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.