Request a court-appointed lawyer in a criminal case
Criminal & Court
Oregon preparation and procedure guide
Source review: 2026-10-11

Scope: Shared Oregon or applicable federal procedure; confirm local requirements
Prepare the financial application for appointed criminal defense counsel and deliver it to the court handling the charge.

Who this route is for
People facing a criminal charge and possible jail time who cannot afford counsel. The court determines financial eligibility; the interactive application is for criminal cases.

Timing and notices
Apply promptly before the next appearance when possible. Filing an application does not cancel any court date.

Prepare (conditional documents may have alternatives)
[ ] Court case number and next appearance notice
[ ] Income, assets, expenses and household information requested in the financial affidavit
[ ] Current mailing address and phone number

How to proceed
1. Read the court-appointed-attorney instructions and confirm the court and case number on your charging papers.
2. Use the criminal court-appointed-lawyer interview in OJD Guide & File, or obtain the court financial-affidavit form.
3. Complete the financial questions truthfully and sign where required; the affidavit is made under penalty of perjury.
4. Submit the completed application using the court or interview filing instructions and retain confirmation.
5. Attend the scheduled court appearance and check whether an individual attorney has actually been assigned.

Start the court-appointed-lawyer application route: https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/iforms.aspx

Limits: Financial eligibility and lawyer availability are separate questions. OPDC listed as a placeholder on paperwork is not your lawyer and cannot advise you.

Publisher sources
Oregon Judicial Department : Court Appointed Attorney : Forms Center : State of Oregon
https://www.courts.oregon.gov/forms/Pages/court-appointed-attorney.aspx
Evidence type: publisher-html-snapshot
SHA-256: 75b72319797f4a6b669e9bc0e5d05ec900fc8e05674b47c925339124c88808b0
Oregon Judicial Department : OJD Guide & File : Online Services : State of Oregon
https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/iforms.aspx
Evidence type: publisher-html-snapshot
SHA-256: 04b8710467ea7332c40e49506a181eb3250296432201a9272912ddc3742b9178
Oregon Public Defense Commission : General Information for People Charged with Crimes : General Information and Resources : State of Oregon
https://www.oregon.gov/opdc/general/Pages/charged.aspx
Evidence type: publisher-html-snapshot
SHA-256: 31bcc56cc7f2ab23b9826f2ae58e7f3ea7ce52be491864597c0bec3f4d5e4260

This site helps you prepare. It does not submit filings, calculate personal deadlines, decide eligibility or replace professional review. A complaint or help request does not pause another case or deadline.

Start here
Read the court-appointed-attorney instructions and confirm the court and case number on your charging papers.

Where and how to submit
Read the linked publisher instructions to confirm the receiving office, accepted submission method and current forms. This page has not separately verified those details. A county filter does not decide the correct court or filing location.
https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/iforms.aspx

What will it cost?
Fees and fee-waiver eligibility have not been separately verified for this route. Check the current provider instructions. For a court filing, ask the court about its fee-waiver or deferral forms.

After submission
Keep a copy of what you send and its confirmation or receipt. Ask the receiving office how to track it, when to expect a response and how it will request missing information. These follow-up details have not been separately verified for this route.

Corrections, denials and appeals
Read any returned filing, correction request or denial notice promptly. Ask the responsible office for the correction, review or appeal instructions and the deadline that applies to your notice. This guide does not verify a route-specific appeal process.

Language, disability and offline help
Ask the receiving office about language assistance, disability accommodations and an alternative to online submission. Available options have not been separately verified for this route.