Welcome to the Office of James Russo, Public Defender, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida. The State of Florida is divided into twenty (20) circuits, each consisting of one or more counties. Each of these circuits has a Public Defender elected every four (4) years by the citizens of that circuit. The Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, consists of Brevard and Seminole Counties. The principal Brevard County Office is located in Viera and we have a branch office located in Titusville. Our Seminole County Office is located in Sanford.

The Public Defender organization which presently exists in Florida came into being shortly after a decision by the United State Supreme Court in the case of Gideon v. Wainwright, in 1963. In that case, the court held that individuals charged with serious offenses, who could not afford an attorney, had the right to a court appointed attorney. The Public Defender system was devised as the most efficient and economical method of providing appointed counsel to indigent defendants.

The Public Defender is responsible for providing legal representation for people charged with a variety of offenses from minor traffic infractions to first degree murder. He selects his staff to aid him in the conduct of his constitutionally required duties, each employee serving at his pleasure and retained at his discretion.

In the event that the attorney assigned to a case feels that a Judge erred during a pre-trial hearing, during a trial, or at sentencing, an appeal may be taken to a higher court. If the error occurs in the County Court the appeal is filed in the Circuit Court and our attorneys will write the appeal. If the error occurs in the Circuit Court the Appeal is filed in the Fifth District Court of Appeal located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Fifth District Court of Appeal is one of the five (5) Appellate Courts in Florida which hears cases from several different circuits including our own. If an appeal is taken to the Fifth District, it is normally written for us by attorneys from the Public Defender for the Seventh Judicial Circuit.

Our work is very important for the protection of the civil rights of the individuals we represent and employees of the Public Defender assume the personal responsibility to provide clients with the best legal assistance possible.