Is a private lawyer better than a public defender?

There is not a correct answer to this question per say. Some public defenders do a great job and truly care about their cases. Others may be overworked and cannot give quality time to each case. Some private attorneys are also not the greatest at what they do.

The biggest difference between one being free representation and the other not, is that the private attorney relies on referrals and happy clients for future business. Public defenders do not socialite business and remain steadily busy regardless of their courtroom results. Private attorneys count on positive results for their clients for increased business and reputation.

This fact should motivate the attorney to do a good job. A public defender is assigned cases and will be given cases whether they win or lose the cases they have.