Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office

What Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office does

The Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office, formally the Law Offices of the Public Defender Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, is a constitutionally mandated government legal services organization providing criminal defense representation to indigent defendants in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1971 with 16 attorneys, it has grown into the largest constitutional defense law firm in Florida, handling approximately 75,000 cases per year (with ~15,000 active at any time) using a staff of about 400 attorneys, investigators, mitigation specialists, paralegals, IT personnel, and administrative staff. Carlos J. Martinez has served as the elected Public Defender since 2008 and was re-elected without opposition through 2024.

The office is organized into specialized divisions covering felony, county court (misdemeanors), appellate, children's defense, and behavioral health cases, with dedicated units for capital litigation, early representation (pre-arraignment bond work), and domestic violence defense. Technology stack includes Thomson Reuters CoCounsel AI legal assistant for deposition preparation and case analysis — making it the first U.S. government agency to adopt the tool — alongside Westlaw for legal research and an internal management information system. Supporting community programs include the Redemption Project (record sealing and reentry support since 1998), Play It Smart, Consequences Aren't Minor, Project Victory/Project Independence (vocational training for students with disabilities), and the Agape Network partnership (call center employing women in recovery).

The office is funded through Miami-Dade County and State of Florida government appropriations, not commercial revenue, with services provided at no cost to clients who qualify at 200% of the federal poverty level. A $50 application fee may be charged but is waivable. Distribution is exclusively through court appointment in the 11th Judicial Circuit; no commercial sales or marketing exists. Revenue drivers are case volume and headcount, both of which are stable.

Name

Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office

Legal name

Law Offices of the Public Defender Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida

Website

https://pdmiami.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Defense Legal Services

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Criminal defense representation
• Indigent defense services
• Public defender legal services
• Juvenile delinquency defense
• Appellate criminal litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriation: Primary funding through Miami-Dade County and State of Florida government appropriations. The office handles approximately 75,000 cases per year as a constitutional obligation.
2. Client Application Fee: $50 application fee charged to clients for public defender representation services. However, Florida law authorizes representation regardless of ability to pay this fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office provides constitutionally-mandated legal representation to indigent defendants in Miami-Dade County who face the loss of liberty and cannot afford private counsel, handling approximately 75,000 cases per year. Services span felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, capital, appellate, domestic violence, and behavioral health defense through dedicated divisions, supported by community engagement programs such as the Redemption Project, Play It Smart, and Project Victory.

Product overview

The Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office is a government legal services organization providing criminal defense representation to indigent clients. The core product is legal defense services across multiple divisions: Felony Division (capital offenses and serious felonies), County Court Division (misdemeanors and criminal traffic), Children's Defense Division (juvenile delinquency), Behavioral Health Division (mental health and substance abuse cases), and Appellate Division (appeals and extraordinary writs). Specialized units include Capital Litigation, Early Representation, and Domestic Representation. Community programs include the Redemption Project (employment assistance and record expungement), Play It Smart (youth police interaction education), The Consequences Aren't Minor (juvenile justice awareness), Project Victory/Independence (vocational training for students with disabilities), and the Agape Network partnership (employment for women in recovery). The office handles approximately 75,000 cases annually with about 400 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Redemption Project: All-volunteer effort to improve the ability of former clients to overcome legal obstacles to employment and help them obtain jobs
• Play It Smart
• The Consequences Aren't Minor
• Project Victory
• Project Independence
• PD-11 and Agape Network Partnership
• Ensuring Equal Justice Pro Bono Initiative

Products and services

• Criminal Defense Legal Representation
• Felony Division Defense Services Legal defense for clients facing felony charges punishable by more than one year in prison, including capital offenses such as murder, rape, and robbery. Led by Chief Assistant Public Defender Damaris Del Valle.
• County Court (Misdemeanor) Defense Services Legal defense for misdemeanor offenses punishable by less than one year in jail, including prostitution, shoplifting, domestic violence, and criminal traffic offenses such as DUI. Led by Chief Assistant Public Defender Natahly Soler.
• Appellate Defense Services Representation on appeals from felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, and mental health cases, including direct capital appeals before the Supreme Court of Florida. Led by Chief Assistant Public Defender Maria Lauredo.
• Children's Defense Services Defense representation for children under 18 charged with delinquent acts in juvenile court, including cases transferred to adult court. Led by Senior Supervising Attorney Tara Khani. The division received the 2008 Hugh S. Glickstein Award for Child Advocacy.
• Capital Litigation Defense Services Specialized representation in trial and sentencing phases of criminal cases where the prosecution seeks the death penalty. Co-coordinated by Teresa Enriquez and Elisa Quesada.
• Behavioral Health Defense and Diversion Services Specialized assistance for clients with mental illness, substance use disorders, and behavioral health needs, including mental health court, Baker Act representation, and jail diversion programs. Led by Senior Supervising Attorney Mara Apostol.
• Domestic Violence Defense Services Representation for individuals charged with misdemeanor domestic violence offenses, including assault, battery, stalking, and violation of injunctions in domestic violence court. Led by Senior Supervising Attorney Dionne McDonald-Josephs.
• Early Representation Services Early intervention representation at first appearance hearings, often arguing for bond reductions and pre-trial release. The Early Representation Unit saves Miami-Dade County taxpayers over $2 million annually by reducing pre-trial incarceration costs. Led by Senior Supervising Attorney Claudia Carrazana-Lavastida.
• Redemption Project Community program to help former clients overcome legal obstacles to employment, including assistance with sealing and expunging criminal records and restoring civil rights. Since 1998, volunteers have assisted more than 6,000 people across Miami-Dade County.
• Play It Smart Youth Education Program Educational program teaching teenagers about their rights and how to effectively interact with police through lectures, skits, and role-playing exercises.
• The Consequences Aren't Minor Program Community education program for kids and parents about the serious life-long consequences of arrest, plea, conviction, or adjudication in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
• Project Victory and Project Independence Career development programs established in 2015 in partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools for students with disabilities, providing vocational instruction, community training opportunities, and on-the-job file management training at the Public Defender's office.
• PD-11 and Agape Network Partnership Program Partnership program established in 2023 with Agape Network, Inc. that operates a call center at the Agape treatment campus, providing employment and training to women in recovery from drug or alcohol dependency. Received the 2024 Gold Stevie Award for Corporate Social Responsibility.
• Mitigation and Placement Services Multi-disciplinary team service that assesses client needs and develops rehabilitative treatment and sentencing plans, addressing issues including mental illness, substance abuse, and intellectual disability.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agape Network, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with not-for-profit organization providing treatment to women recovering from drug or alcohol dependency. Established a state-of-the-art call center at the Agape campus enabling women in recovery to work while in treatment. PD-11 employs Agape clients who receive training, living wages, health insurance, and benefits. Partnership received Gold Stevie Award in Corporate Social Responsibility.
• Miami Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership established by Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez to house Project Victory and Project Independence - comprehensive career development programs at the Public Defender's office for students with disabilities. Programs provide work experience in file management and retention. Directed by Faith Gomez with students assigned to the Central Intake Unit.
• Community Organizations and ChurchesminorOthersRedemption Project is an all-volunteer effort involving volunteers from the Public Defender's Office and community groups. Since 1998, workshops have been held at community centers and churches across Miami-Dade County to assist former clients with employment obstacles and record sealing/expungement.
• Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - Miami ChapterminorOthersPrivate attorneys who are members of FACDL Miami chapter have handled approximately 50 felony cases as part of the Ensuring Equal Justice Pro Bono Initiative. More than 100 private attorneys have participated since the program's inception.
• Law SchoolsminorOthersPartnership with law schools for Certified Legal Internship (CLI) program. Students from numerous law schools including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Georgetown, University of Miami, and Florida International University participate in internships.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA): The national membership and advocacy organization for civil legal aid and public defense programs; awarded Miami-Dade the Clara Shortridge Foltz Award in 2008 and serves as the ecosystem-level peer for standards, training, and policy in indigent defense.
• National Association for Public Defense (NAPD): A national membership organization supporting public defense providers with training, technical assistance, and standards; an ecosystem peer relevant to Miami-Dade PD's training programs, technology adoption, and quality representation initiatives.

Emerging players

• Southern Center for Human Rights: A non-profit focused on indigent defense and civil rights advocacy, particularly in capital cases and criminal justice reform; comparable to Miami-Dade's Capital Litigation Unit and broader criminal justice reform community programming.
• The Bronx Defenders: A holistic, community-based public defender model integrating civil, criminal, immigration, and social work representation; comparable in philosophy of wraparound defense services and pioneering of interdisciplinary defender practice that Miami-Dade's Mitigation and Behavioral Health divisions echo.

Direct peers

• Harris County Public Defender's Office (Houston): Texas's largest county public defender office, providing indigent defense across felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, and mental health divisions in a major metropolitan area; structurally comparable in mission, specialty divisions, and diversion programming.
• Cook County Public Defender's Office (Chicago): A major urban public defender office handling comparable volume and case mix (felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, appeals) under the same constitutional indigent defense framework; comparable in mission, organizational scale, and courtroom-adjacent operations to Miami-Dade PD.
• Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia: A federally-chartered public defender organization providing criminal, juvenile, and specialized representation (including a nationally recognized Trial Practice Academy) in a major urban jurisdiction; a close analog in training programs, specialty divisions, and holistic defense philosophy.
• Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office: The largest public defender office in the United States by caseload and headcount; operates under the same constitutional mandate, handles felony/misdemeanor/juvenile representation in a large urban jurisdiction, and serves as a natural benchmark for Miami-Dade's scale and division structure.
• The Legal Aid Society (New York): A large non-profit providing indigent criminal defense, civil legal services, and juvenile representation across New York City; comparable in mission (right to counsel for the poor), specialty practice units, and community education programming.

Regional players

• Broward County Public Defender's Office: The neighboring Florida public defender office (17th Judicial Circuit) operating under identical state law and constitutional mandate; directly comparable in practice areas, training pipeline, and community engagement models given geographic proximity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office