Participation in the Public Defender Rotation Panel
The Law Office of the Hamilton County Public Defender maintains and administers a list for the appointment of counsel from several Rotation Panels - Felonies, Misdemeanors, Appellate, Juvenile Delinquency and Dependency cases, as well as the appointment of Guardian Ad Litem attorneys for appropriate cases in Juvenile Court.
Participation on these panels requires submission of the appropriate Registration Form(s) along with strict compliance with our Standards, Guidelines and Regulations. Attorneys wishing to participate in the Guardian Ad Litem and Dependency Panels must also review the Rotation Panel Policy Manual for Dependency Court.
Each year the Law Office of the Hamilton County Public Defender will conduct a review of each panel and determine whether additions, deletions or alterations to each panel are necessary and appropriate. Prior placement on any panel does not guarantee continued placement on that panel. The current review of all Rotation Panels will begin the first week of October each year. All Registrations for participation on these panels must be received on the last business day in September.
Attorneys wishing to participate on a particular panel must submit the appropriate Registration Form(s) with supporting documentation. This Registration will then be reviewed and a determination made as to whether placement on the panel will be made. Submission of a Registration does not guarantee placement on a panel. All Registrations will be reviewed by the Public Defender, Deputy Public Defender and the appropriate Division Directors, Assistant Directors and Supervisors to determine whether placement will be made. If a placement is not made, an applicant’s Registration may be kept for consideration in the event a vacancy occurs and a replacement needs to be made.
Current panel attorneys seeking to continue their participation on a panel must submit the appropriate Renewal form along with the necessary documentation. The Guardian Ad Litem and Juvenile Panels are undergoing a full review and current panel members wishing to participate on these panels must submit a new Registration for Juvenile Panel, Registration for Guardian Ad Litem Panel or Registration for Parent Representation on Dependency Cases Form.
Any attorney who has already been placed on the Felony, Misdemeanor, or Appellate Panel and requests that their qualifications be reviewed and increased, must submit the approiate Re-categorization form.
If an attorney who has not previously participated in a Rotation Panel is selected, that attorney should contact the Deputy Public Defender for information regarding identification cards, access to CMS, access to the courthouse, 800 Broadway, 20/20, the jail, etc.
Any attorney wishing to participate in the Mentoring Program established by the Law Office of the Hamilton County Public Defender shall complete the appropriate Registration and indicate their desire to participate as a mentor or mentee.
All Registration, Renewal and Re-categorization forms and supporting documentation must be received by the Deputy Public Defender, Daniel James, on the last business day in September. (Deadline will be extended to mid November for Attorneys awaiting admission as a result of a successful bar examination in July of that same year). Submissions may be submitted in person, by email or mailed to his attention at:
Daniel James
Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office
230 East 9th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
