Learn how to obtain an attorney by checking your eligibility with a Department of Public Defense (DPD) screening interview.
DPD Screening LineHours: 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday
If you cannot afford an attorney, you must interview by phone to determine eligibility for a public defender. This is called a financial screening.
Visit our Cases Public Defense supports page for the kinds of representation the Department of Public Defense (DPD) provides.
To screen, call the DPD financial screening line at 206-477-9727, 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. No appointment is necessary.
If you do not have access to a phone, you may use a DPD Hotphone in Seattle or Kent to call us.
The phones are clearly marked and are in the following locations:
You can also email dpdscreening@kingcounty.gov to have a DPD screener contact you.
At the interview, a DPD screener will ask you questions about your financial situation to determine if you qualify for a public defender. The screener is not an attorney and cannot give you legal advice.
This means you cannot afford an attorney. You will be assigned to a public defense division.
This means you are not considered indigent but also do not have enough money to hire a private attorney. You will be assigned to a public defense division and will be asked to sign a promissory note. The note means that you will make payments to help pay for your attorney. King County will send you a monthly bill, giving you up to 12 months to pay for your attorney.
It means you do not qualify for a public defender. In this case, you must hire an attorney on your own. Please see the resources page for places to find legal help in our region. If you are assigned to a public defender division, call the division 4 business days after your interview to find out the name of your attorney.
Look up the phone number of your attorney, or any DPD employee, by visiting the King County online directory and entering the attorney's first and last name into the search window. Most attorneys are listed in the directory.
If you can't remember your attorney's name, call us at 206-296-7662, and we'll help you figure it out.
If you need to meet with them, visit our contact page for the locations of our division offices, where our public defenders are located. All our offices are open from 8 am to 5 pm.
If we cannot represent you, several other legal resources are available to you.
King County 2-1-1 provides comprehensive information on health and human services to King County residents. Their specialists can direct you to legal services. They can also direct you to other services, including food, shelter, housing, rent and utility assistance, health care, family support, and financial assistance.
The referral line is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm
The 2-1-1 specialists are not lawyers and cannot provide legal advice. However, they can direct you to another legal resource, if available. They’ll ask you some questions to determine what help might be available to you.
You can also access the Crisis Center 211 website for information on legal services and service providers.
The King County Bar Association provides free legal assistance on many matters, including:
They also run Neighborhood Legal Clinics, which provide free 30-minute consultations at several locations in King County.
Washington Law Help provides information, resources, self-help packets, and videos on:
Provides legal information and referrals.
Offers help on consumer protection issues.
Provides legal advice and representation to low-income individuals with disabilities, helping them obtain Social Security disability and SSI benefits.
Supports young people ensnared in the criminal legal system, empowering them to make good choices, providing workshops and counseling, and offering restorative practices.
Supports people impacted by the criminal legal system.
Supports young people ensnared in the criminal legal process, providing alternatives to incarceration and other services.
Phone: 206-324-1521 (in King County) or (800) 562-2702 (statewide)
Provides legal information for people with disabilities.
Provides a civil legal aid clinic for workers in employment law cases; the clinic is operated in partnership with Seattle University and the University of Washington schools of law.
Offers affordable mediation and conflict resolution services for individuals, families and businesses.
Advances legal rights of young people through direct representation, community partnerships, and systemic advocacy.
Advocates for our region’s most marginalized communities, including women of color, lesbians, transgender and gender-nonconforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and low-income women.
Works with young people and families who have experienced foster care or homelessness.
Provides clients of moderate means facing family, consumer or housing law issues with lawyers at reduced fees.
Phone: 206-587-4009 or (800) 445-5771 (statewide)
Provides direct legal services to immigrants.
The state’s publicly funded legal aid program, it maintains Washington Law Help and provides legal services in housing, healthcare, education and other areas.
Provides legal services on criminal warrants, debts, court fines and relicensing, child support and visitation.
Provides legal services for youth in need of help with housing, education, healthcare and other areas.
Provides free legal assistance to low-income people in Seattle who are facing evictions, subsidy terminations, debtor/creditor issues, and other needs.
Phone: 206-441-9178 or (888) 441-9178
Provides legal services to people who have been denied unemployment benefits.
Provides information on housing, education, employment.
Provides free investigative and legal services in cases of innocence with supporting newly discovered evidence.