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Public defender cites lawyer shortage, asks for administrative assistant to clear case backlog
Summary
The county public defender said the office is short of attorneys and asked commissioners to add an administrative assistant to help investigators and counsel prepare cases while attorney recruitment remains difficult.
At the Dawson County budget hearing, the public defender reported a substantial shortage of attorneys and asked the board to authorize an additional administrative assistant to help manage case preparation, investigations and courtroom facilitation while the office works to fill lawyer vacancies.
"We're down we're really down 9. We have 2 new ones that are taking the bar this summer, so we're counting them," the public defender said, describing a hiring gap the office is struggling to fill as private firms offer substantially higher starting pay in nearby Atlanta.
Why it matters: the public defender said staffing shortages increase workload for attorneys and investigators and slow case processing. The requested administrative assistant would perform investigative and preparatory tasks — visiting the jail, seeking witnesses, reviewing files and supporting courtroom logistics — to speed case flow while attorney vacancies remain unfilled.
The public defender said the office had considered hiring another lawyer but is unable to fill existing vacant attorney slots; the request instead targets back‑office capacity that could help otherwise overburdened lawyers prepare cases and manage court needs. The office said some positions are filled through different employment relationships (state‑funded, county‑funded, Hall County contract positions), which complicates classification and movement of staff across funding types. No formal action or funding decision was made at the hearing.
