Court Appointed Lawyers

Under Texas Law, persons charged with a misdemeanor punishable by jail time and any felony may be eligible for a court appointed attorney. According to the Taylor County Indigent Defense Plan, a person is usually eligible for a court appointed attorney if their family income does not exceed 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and the value of their property (other than their homestead) does not exceed $2500. Other factors may also be considered.

Though some indigency determinations are made by judges, most determinations are made by the indigent defense coordinator.

Application

To apply for a court appointed attorney, please submit the following form to the Indigent Defense Coordinator in person:

English - Affidavit of Indigence

Espanol - Declaracion Jurada de Indigencia 

Affidavits of indigence may also be submitted to the magistrate at the Taylor County Jail as a part of the Magistrate’s Warning process. If an applicant meets the indigency criteria in the Indigent Defense Plan, an attorney will be appointed to represent them.