> Isn't that already the case? In spirit, perhaps. In fact, no. If you opt for court-provided representation, your defense attorney will typically have less th

> Isn't that already the case? In spirit, perhaps. In fact, no. If you opt for court-provided representation, your defense attorney will typically have less than an hour to prep for your case -- barely long enough to get "your side of the story" and certainly not long enough to discover nuances relevant to the law. And you might even still have to pay; in Texas, for example, you're not entitled to court-appointed representation if your income is above some unspecified amount.