>and offer a reinforced legal counsel (which is available to everyone for free for sure, but I hope nobody kids themselves about how overworked those people are

>and offer a reinforced legal counsel (which is available to everyone for free for sure, but I hope nobody kids themselves about how overworked those people are - I could bet everything I have that anyone with a good income would always pick a private lawyer over duty counsel). Where did you get the idea that everyone gets free legal counsel for civil or criminal actions? In many, if not most places in the US, in criminal actions, you must prove that you don't have the means to pay a lawyer before one is "appointed by the court." In fact, many places have very low limits on income/assets before providing free counsel. The requirements surrounding this are a hodgepodge of state and local rules[0]. As for civil actions, most places do not provide legal counsel[1] at all. [0] https://www.findlaw.com/hirealawyer/do-you-need-a-lawyer/do-you-qualify-for-free-legal-aid.html https://www.findlaw.com/hirealawyer/do-you-need-a-lawyer/do-... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_aid_in_the_United_States#A_history_of_civil_legal_aid_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_aid_in_the_United_States...