there was a recent study comparing the private bar v. federal public defender. the private bar failed in every measure in terms of “production” for clients, longer sentences, longer to get a resolution etc, general efficiency. the private sector in that arena is full of bluster and absolutely ridiculous. report is available online. public defenders on average are so far superior to the average criminal defense lawyer. the public is ill-informed and believes public defenders (free government lawyers) are worthless. there was also an interesting study published in the wsj many years ago that found that government lawyers are, on average, less attractive that their private counterparts.
