Nassau County
Assigned Counsel Defender Plan
History

Article 18B of the New York State County law was approved on July 16, 1965 and required that individual counties throughout the State provide counsel, investigative services, expert services and other services to indigent persons accused of crimes.

Section 722 of Article 18B provided counties with several alternative methods of fulfilling this requirement. Two of those methods were (1), for the county to provide counsel and other services pursuant to a contract with a "private legal aid bureau or society" and (2), pursuant to "a plan of a (local) bar association". These are the two methods chosen by Nassau County.

Pursuant to this choice, on January 24, 1966, by Resolution No. 60-1966, the Nassau County Board of Supervisors authorized the County Executive to enter into a contract with the Nassau County Bar Association for "the maintenance of an office of Administrator to provide legal representation in certain criminal matters".

The "Assigned Counsel Defender Plan", as the Bar Association's plan became known, provides legal representation to certain indigent defendants charged with crime in Nassau County. The program was previously administered through the Nassau County Commissioner of Accounts. It is presently administered through the Nassau County Attorney's Office.

On May 22, 1992, the Assigned Counsel Defender Plan was formally incorporated as the "Nassau County Bar Association Assigned Counsel Defender Plan, Inc."

The Office of the Assigned Counsel consists of the Administrator, 2 full time personnel and 1 part time clerk. Together, these 4 personnel are responsible for the administration of all aspects of the work of the 260 private attorneys who comprise the panel.

That administration includes providing representation in all village Police Justice Courts, the City Courts of Glen Cove and Long Beach, Nassau County District Court, Nassau County County Court, Nassau County Family Court, Nassau County Surrogate's Court, the New York State Appellate Term and the New York State Appellate Division; reviewing qualifications of private attorneys who seek panel membership; arranging continuing legal education classes to assure continuing quality representation; reviewing and investigating complaints by members of the public concerning alleged attorney misfeasance; dealing with the judiciary to handle ongoing day to day problems concerning attorneys, experts or other matters pertaining to individual cases; monitoring the random assignments of panelists to individual court parts (Arraignment B, the "511 Vacate" Part, Part 11, Part 12, Part 9) on a daily basis to assure fairness; and reviewing the approximately 5,900 vouchers submitted by panelists each year to ensure accuracy and compliance with the rules established by this office and by Nassau County.