Hey my son's father is in jail for a robbery and gun charges...do u suggest private or pulic lawyer???

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that I used to work at the Philadelphia Public Defender's Office and, while I no longer live or work in the area, I am still licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania.

That said, allow me to offer the following. First, robbery and firearm charges are very serious. You are absolutely right that your son's father will need a good lawyer.

Second, if you can afford a lawyer, you will need to hire one. Public defenders are only for people who don't have enough money to hire one on their own. As in other professions, some lawyers are better than other ones. Some also specialize in particular types of cases. Check with friends, the local bar association, and the Internet to see if you can get names of good lawyers. There are some very good and reasonably priced lawyers in Philly.

If your son's father cannot afford a lawyer, the court will appoint a public defender to represent him at the first preliminary hearing. While I am clearly biased, I can tell you that Philly's PDs are extremely well-trained and vetted and have a tremendous amount of experience. I know that people often complain that they see a different PD every time they go to court. That, unfortunately, is true. However, what I like to tell people is that instead of one lawyer looking at the law and the facts of the case, you have a whole team of people with the public defender. You can also rest assured that if and when the case goes to trial, the PD handling the case will be completely on top of it.