Hiring a Criminal Defense Lawyer in Ohio
How criminal defense lawyers in Ohio 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 Ohio: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Under Ohio Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(c)(1), every contingent fee agreement must be in a writing signed by both the client and the lawyer, stating how the fee is determined, including the percentage(s) for settlement, trial or appeal; litigation and other expenses deducted from the recovery; and whether expenses are deducted before or after the fee is calculated, and clearly notifying the client of expenses owed whether or not the client prevails. Under Rule 1.5(c)(2), when the lawyer will disburse funds, the lawyer must give the client a closing statement, signed by the client and lawyer, at or before receiving the fee, showing how the fee was computed, the costs and expenses deducted, and any division of fees with a lawyer outside the firm. Rule 1.5(d) bars fees in domestic relations matters contingent on securing a divorce or on the amount of spousal or child support or property settlement, and contingent fees for defending a criminal case. Ohio's Rule 1.5(a) prohibits 'illegal or clearly excessive' fees rather than 'unreasonable' fees. |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | According to the Ohio State Bar Association, many local bar associations will help arbitrate fee disputes, and some also mediate other lawyer-client conflicts that do not involve misconduct. Fee disagreements generally are not handled through the discipline process. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | The Supreme Court of Ohio's Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection reimburses money or property lost through an Ohio-licensed attorney's theft or embezzlement while acting in a fiduciary or legal capacity within an attorney-client relationship; reimbursement is not a matter of right. The attorney must have been disciplined on or after May 13, 1985, or have resigned or died. Loans, malpractice, negligence and fee disputes are not covered, and family members, employees, lawyer-controlled businesses and government entities cannot claim. The maximum is $100,000 per claim; file within five years of the loss or its discovery. There is no filing fee; submit a notarized Application for Reimbursement with supporting documents (a lawyer is optional). Claim help: 1.800.231.1680. |
Ohio rules to know first
| Getting a court-appointed lawyer | Under Ohio Public Defender rules, an applicant whose gross income is at or below 187.5% of the federal poverty level is presumed indigent; an applicant above that may still qualify if net income after basic living expenses is at or below 125% of the poverty level or if the applicant cannot afford qualified counsel. Applicants are presumed indigent if they receive poverty-based public assistance (such as SSI, Medicaid, or SNAP), are committed to a public mental health facility, are incarcerated in a state penitentiary, or are a child. Liquid-asset limits depend on the most serious charge (for example $2,000 for a misdemeanor and $8,000 for a first- or second-degree felony), but exceeding the limits does not automatically bar appointment, and posting bail does not disqualify an applicant. A person applying for court-appointed counsel or public defender services must pay a non-refundable application fee of twenty-five dollars to the clerk of court (at filing of the financial disclosure form or within seven days); the court may waive or reduce it if the person lacks sufficient financial resources or payment would cause undue hardship. Fee: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-120.36 (effective September 29, 2017) |
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| Bail and release before trial | All persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, except a person charged with a capital offense where the proof is evident or the presumption great, and a person charged with a felony where the proof is evident or the presumption great and the person poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm to any person or to the community. Excessive bail shall not be required. When setting the amount of bail, the court shall consider public safety, including the seriousness of the offense, and a person's criminal record, the likelihood a person will return to court, and any other factor the General Assembly may prescribe. By statute, a judge may deny bail to a person charged with aggravated murder (non-capital), murder, a first- or second-degree felony, and certain other listed offenses only after a hearing at which the state proves by clear and convincing evidence that the proof is evident or the presumption great, that the accused poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm to any person or the community, and that no release conditions will reasonably assure safety; continuances are limited to three court days for the state and five court days for the accused unless waived. Constitution section shown effective November 8, 2022. No-bail hearing statute: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2937.222 |
| Felony classes and sentences | Ohio grades felonies by degree, first through fifth. Prison terms: Felony of the first degree committed on or after March 22, 2019: an indefinite prison term with a stated minimum term selected by the court of three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or eleven years (maximum term determined under section 2929.144). Felony of the second degree committed on or after March 22, 2019: an indefinite term with a stated minimum of two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight years (maximum under section 2929.144). (For first- and second-degree felonies committed before March 22, 2019, the same ranges apply as definite terms.) Felony of the third degree: a definite term of nine, twelve, eighteen, twenty-four, thirty, or thirty-six months, or, for certain listed offenses, twelve to sixty months. Felony of the fourth degree: six to eighteen months. Felony of the fifth degree: six to twelve months. Maximum fines: first degree, not more than twenty thousand dollars; second degree, not more than fifteen thousand dollars; third degree, not more than ten thousand dollars; fourth degree, not more than five thousand dollars; fifth degree, not more than two thousand five hundred dollars. Murder and aggravated murder carry separate penalties. R.C. 2929.14 effective April 9, 2025. Fines: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2929.18 Source: R.C. 2929.14(A), 2929.18(A)(3) |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | Lawyer referral services in Ohio must be registered with the Supreme Court of Ohio under Gov.Bar R. XVI. The Court maintains a list of registered lawyer referral services, with links and the geographic area each serves; Court staff cannot refer you to a specific lawyer, but direct people needing a lawyer to a registered lawyer referral service. |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The Supreme Court of Ohio licenses Ohio attorneys, and its Office of Attorney Services keeps an online directory of attorneys admitted to practice in Ohio. Attorneys' residence addresses and emails are not public unless no valid office address is on file. For help, contact the court's Registration and CLE Section at attyreg@sc.ohio.gov or 614.387.9320 (weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m.). FAQ: https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/attorneys/attorney-registration/atty-registration-faqs/ |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | File a grievance with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC) of the Supreme Court of Ohio (online through its File a Grievance link, or obtain a form from ODC at 65 E. State Street, Suite 1510, Columbus, OH 43215) or with your local bar association's certified grievance committee, which the Supreme Court authorizes to investigate and prosecute ethics violations. The complaint must be in writing and signed and include your name, the attorney's name and the basis for the complaint. The attorney may be asked to respond; if there is no probable cause the grievance is dismissed (dismissals by a local grievance committee can be appealed to the Board of Professional Conduct; ODC dismissals cannot). If probable cause is found, a formal complaint goes to the Board of Professional Conduct; the preliminary investigation is confidential, but once a probable-cause panel certifies the complaint the proceedings become public, and the Supreme Court decides any discipline. Process described in the Ohio State Bar Association pamphlet: https://www.ohiobar.org/globalassets/law-facts/pamphlet-pdfs/lf_ethics_pdf.pdf |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Free civil legal aid for low-income Ohioans is provided by regional legal aid programs. The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) lists five Ohio grantees: Community Legal Aid Services, Legal Aid of Western Ohio, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, and Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio. |
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All legal help in Ohio · 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.