Under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution as well as the Indiana Constitution and various Indiana statutes, you have the right to an attorney at no expense to yourself if you cannot afford one in certain cases. These case types are generally any criminal matter, Children in Need of Services and Termination of Parental Rights cases, juvenile delinquency proceedings, mental health commitment cases, other proceedings where incarceration is a possibility (such as child support contempt proceedings), and appeals of these case types.

The Allen County Public Defender's Office provides comprehensive legal representation services in criminal, juvenile, and CHINS (Child in Need of Services) proceedings to indigent persons in Allen County Indiana, misdemeanor criminal matters and does not handle civil matters associated with these criminal matters, such as Department of Licensing Administrative Hearings and traffic infractions.