Licensing/Regulation - Richmond, Virginia Defenders Indigent Defense Commission
1604 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23229
Eligibility
Languages
Spanish
Service area
VA
Description
The Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC) was statutorily established in 2004, replacing the Public Defender Commission, to protect the Constitutional right to counsel for people who cannot afford to hire their own lawyer. The VIDC oversees 28 public defender offices and 2 satellite offices across Virginia, with a central administrative office that manages the certification of public defenders, as well as private attorneys, seeking court-appointment in criminal cases. The VIDC provides high-quality training to all certified attorneys to continually improve criminal defense representation to vulnerable citizens of Virginia who are not able to hire an attorney of their choosing. In addition, the VIDC is responsible for the following: Promulgate and enforce the mandatory Standards of Practice for Court-Appointed Counsel which sets out detailed expectations for attorneys seeking appointments in criminal cases; Re-certify attorneys seeking appointments in criminal cases and maintain the certified counsel list; and develop certification training courses
Providing organization
Virginia Defenders Indigent Defense Commission
The Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC) is an independent state agency responsible for ensuring indigent individuals in Virginia have access to quality legal representation. The VIDC manages a system of public defender offices, certifies court-appointed counsel, and develops/enforces standards for indigent defense.