"Broke" Zimmerman gets new private Lawyer [View all]

[HipChick]

I guess his fans are sending in funds...



http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/11/25/2988941/curious-case-george-zimmermans-public-defender/

A few weeks ago, Dowdy left his private practice to become the Chief Assistant Public Defender for Seminole County. According to Trettis, Dowdy does not normally handle individual cases because he has to manage the entire county. When Dowdy does get involved, it would typically be in very serious cases like first degree murder. But, Trettis said, Dowdy has the “discretion” to assign himself as the attorney in any case. And that is exactly what he did in the case of George Zimmerman, assigning himself as an additional lawyer.

Trettis said that, Dowdy’s prior work for Robert Zimmerman Jr. notwithstanding, he had no concerns that George Zimmerman was getting special treatment.

For George Zimmerman, landing an experienced attorney like Dowdy was a big break. According to an affidavit filed with the court, Zimmerman said he had total assets of $149 in cash, no bank account and $2.5 million in debt. His previous attorney, Mark O’Mara, will no longer represent him in any matters. (On Armed American Radio, Dowdy describes O’Mara as “an old friend.”)

Still, George Zimmerman is armed with the services of two attorneys, including one with more than 20 years of criminal defense experience. For an indigent defendant in Florida, that is hardly typical. Last year, 64 lawyers in Brevard and Seminole County handled 28,000 cases. Each lawyer handling felonies, such as the one George Zimmerman is charged with, takes on 400 to 500 clients every year

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-new-lawyer-20131125,0,5351979.story

However, Zimmerman has now elected to drop the Public Defender's Office and hire Jayne Weintraub, a south Florida private criminal defense attorney, to represent him, according to his former public defender, Jeff Dowdy.