Federal Public Defender, District of Kansas

What Federal Public Defender, District of Kansas does

The Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas is a federal government agency within the U.S. judiciary that provides constitutionally mandated criminal defense representation to individuals who cannot afford private counsel in federal cases in Kansas. Established under the Criminal Justice Act of 1964, the office operates three locations across Kansas (Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita) staffed by approximately 50+ employees including attorneys, investigators, paralegals, social workers, IT specialists, and administrative personnel. The office is overseen by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Defender Services Office, with the Federal Public Defender appointed by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The organization provides full-spectrum federal criminal defense services including trial representation, appellate advocacy, compassionate release proceedings, and post-conviction work, supplemented by a multidisciplinary team offering mitigation, social work, and restorative justice programs. Its technology stack includes an Electronic Custodial Discovery Review system using encrypted flash drives, the eVoucher electronic billing system for CJA panel attorneys, and Cellebrite digital forensics capabilities. The office administers the CJA Panel of private attorneys for conflict cases, runs a Second Chair Attorney Mentoring Program, and delivers CLE-accredited training across the district. Funding flows entirely through federal congressional appropriations administered by the federal judiciary, with no commercial revenue or client fees.

Name

Federal Public Defender, District of Kansas

Legal name

Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas

Website

https://ks.fd.org

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas is a federal government agency providing constitutional criminal defense representation to indigent individuals facing federal charges in Kansas, operating three offices across Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita and funded entirely by congressional appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Defender Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Federal criminal defense
• Public defender services
• Criminal justice act
• Appellate advocacy
• Sentencing mitigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Appropriation: Funded by the federal judiciary through annual congressional appropriations. Operates under the U.S. Courts, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Defender Services Office. Staff salaries and operations are government-funded.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas provides free legal representation to individuals who cannot afford counsel and are under federal investigation, charged with, or convicted of federal crimes in Kansas. Services span trial defense, appeals, sentencing mitigation, compassionate release, restorative justice, and pretrial detention representation, delivered through a multidisciplinary team of attorneys, investigators, paralegals, social workers, and IT specialists. The office also administers the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel of private attorneys and runs training programs for federal defenders and CJA panel counsel.

Product overview

Federal Public Defender, District of Kansas is a federal government legal services organization that provides criminal defense representation for individuals who cannot afford counsel and are under federal investigation or charged with or convicted of federal crimes in Kansas. The organization does not offer commercial software products or technology platforms. Its services consist of legal representation, CJA Panel administration, attorney training programs, and client resources including educational materials about the federal criminal process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Federal Criminal Defense Representation (Trial, Sentencing, Appeal, Post-Conviction) Full-spectrum federal criminal defense representation for indigent defendants in the District of Kansas, covering trial defense, sentencing mitigation, appellate advocacy, compassionate release proceedings, pretrial detention hearings, and post-conviction relief. Provided free to eligible clients under the Criminal Justice Act of 1964 and the Sixth Amendment.
• CJA Panel Administration Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel of private criminal defense attorneys who accept federal court appointments in conflict-of-interest cases. Includes case assignment, training, resource authorization, investigator/expert access, and compensation via the eVoucher system.
• CLE Training Programs for Federal Defenders and CJA Panel Counsel Continuing Legal Education training programs (CLE credit-eligible) for federal defenders, state defenders, CJA panel attorneys, investigators, and paralegals, including the FPD/CJA Lunch Hour CLE series.
• Second Chair Attorney Mentoring Program Year-long training and mentoring program for attorneys seeking CJA Panel membership, including monthly orientations and mentor shadowing.
• Undergraduate Internship Opportunities Shadowing, mentorship, and informal networking opportunities for undergraduate students considering law careers.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United States Courts - Defender Services OfficecoreOthers · 1 January 1964The office operates under the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Defender Services Office. Funding and oversight comes from the federal judiciary. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals selects the Federal Public Defender.
• CJA Panel AttorneyscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivate criminal defense attorneys appointed to the CJA panel who handle cases when the Federal Public Defender has a conflict. Panel is administered by CJA Resource Counsel and CJA Administrator. Panel members have access to investigators, interpreters, experts, and other resources.
• U.S. Marshals ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSMS is responsible for serving defense subpoenas and paying witness fees and expenses for fact witnesses under 28 U.S.C. §1825. The organization coordinates with USMS for custodial discovery delivery and client transport.
• U.S. Probation and Pretrial ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates on Pretrial/Probation Orientation Programs (POP) for clients awaiting sentencing or designation. Collaborates on pretrial release matters.
• Healthcare Providers NetworkminorOthersExtensive network of healthcare providers across Kansas and Missouri including mental health centers, hospitals, and treatment facilities from which client records are gathered via authorization forms.
• Federal Bureau of PrisonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates with BOP on incarcerated client representation including compassionate release, electronic discovery review at USP-Leavenworth, and client communications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Federal Defender Program (Eastern District of Pennsylvania): Community-defender-style federal public defense organization for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Operates under the same Defender Services funding model and provides comparable criminal defense, appellate, and CJA panel services.
• Federal Defenders of New York, Inc. (SDNY/EDNY/WDNY): Large multi-district federal defender organization providing the same indigent federal criminal defense services under the Criminal Justice Act, but at significantly greater scale. A benchmark for organizational maturity and program sophistication in federal public defense.
• Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Texas: High-volume federal public defender office handling complex cross-border and immigration-heavy caseloads. Directly comparable on mission and CJA panel administration; relevant for staffing formula and high-volume defense model benchmarking.
• Federal Public Defender for the District of New Mexico: Tenth Circuit peer federal public defender office serving a comparable mid-sized district. Provides federal criminal defense, appellate, and CJA panel administration under the same statutory framework and Defender Services funding.
• Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Missouri: Neighboring federal public defender office in the Tenth Circuit, providing the same federal indigent criminal defense services under the Criminal Justice Act. Most directly comparable on mission, funding model, staffing structure, and jurisdictional scope.
• Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of California: Federal public defender office operating the same Criminal Justice Act framework with significant technology and digital forensics investment. Relevant peer for innovation in litigation technology and holistic defense services.
• Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado: Tenth Circuit counterpart federal public defender office. Operates the same CJA panel and appellate model and serves as a primary reference point for Kansas staff on circuit practice standards.

Regional players

• Office of the Kansas Public Defender: State-level public defender serving Kansas state courts, not federal. Mission-aligned in providing indigent criminal defense but operates under state funding, state statutes, and a separate governance structure. Provides talent pipeline (multiple staff moved between the two offices).
• Missouri State Public Defender: State-level public defender organization serving Missouri. Comparable in mission to indigent defense but funded and governed at the state level. Several Kansas FPD staff (e.g., Tim Burdick) previously served here, making it a notable talent and practice-model reference point.

Others

• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (Defender Services Office): Federal judiciary body that administers funding, oversight, and policy for all federal public defender organizations. Functions as the parent/regulatory counterpart that supplies appropriations and staffing formulas rather than direct legal services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/federal-public-defender-district-of-kansas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Federal Public Defender, District of Kansas