RFQ: District Court Indigent Defense Services

Douglas County is seeking proposals from attorneys to provide indigent defense legal services in District Court criminal proceedings. The attorney’s proposal shall be based on the handling of 90-95% of the case load limits under Standards of Indigent Defense 3.4.

The general requirements are as follows:

1. The Agreement will be for a three year term, commencing February 1, 2026 and expiring December 31, 2028, with an optional extension of up to two years.

2. Agreed upon annual compensation will be paid in twelve equal installments on the last working day of the month.

3. The attorney providing services must be licensed to practice in the State of Washington.

4. The attorney providing services must be continuously covered by professional liability insurance having limits of not less than $250,000.

5. The Attorney must maintain an office open to the public for telephonic and in-person reception, a listed office telephone number, and an on-site fax machine for receiving transmissions. The attorney must be open to the public for meetings, be able to accept telephone calls, and return messages in a timely matter.

6. Primary responsibility for the on-call phone three months of the year.  Stand by coverage for the remaining nine months.

7. Expected to handle preliminary hearings for twenty-six weeks of each year.