(A) Subject to the provisions of this section, the circuit public defender in each judicial circuit may maintain offices and employ chief county public defenders, assistant public defenders, investigators, and other staff as necessary to provide adequate and meaningful representation of indigent clients within the counties of the judicial circuit. Personnel employed pursuant to the provisions of this section serve at the pleasure of the circuit public defender and have responsibilities as the circuit public defender directs.

(B) These employees are employees of the administering county and entitled to the same fringe benefits as other personnel employed by the administering county. All personnel costs including fringe benefits must be paid by the administering county, but must be reimbursed to the administering county from operational funds provided to the circuit public defender office from county and state appropriated funds.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 17-3-540

  • Administering county: means the county within each circuit with which the circuit public defender has an agreement for the administering of indigent defense funds distributed from the State and the counties within the circuit for the provision of indigent defender services within each circuit. See South Carolina Code 17-3-5
  • Circuit public defender: means the head of a public defender office providing indigent defense representation within a given judicial circuit of this State. See South Carolina Code 17-3-5
  • Circuit public defender office: means the office of one of the several circuit public defenders. See South Carolina Code 17-3-5
  • Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
  • Public defender: means an attorney who is employed in a circuit public defender office or who represents an indigent person pursuant to a contractual arrangement with a circuit public defender office. See South Carolina Code 17-3-5
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