Tulsa County Public Defender's Office

About

Our office is made up of 3 divisions: Adult criminal, Juvenile, and Child Advocacy. We represent 80% of all persons charged with a felony in Tulsa Co.

Story

Criminal Defense
Our criminal defense attorneys represent people charged with misdemeanor and felony crimes.
Our staff is led by Chief Public Defender Robert Nigh, who represented Timothy McVeigh and was a partner in the law firm of Clark &De Angelis prior to being asked to lead the Public Defender’s Office.
Our criminal attorneys have tens of thousands of hours of experience in the courtroom arguing motions and conducting trials. We have more trial experience than any law firm in Oklahoma, and we measure our success in lives saved, freedom won, and rights protected.
We can only work on those cases which are appointed to us. For those unable to afford private counsel in Tulsa County, we are the only line of defense between the accused and the accusers. We take only those who are appointed to us, and we take all those who are appointed. That is, if a person cannot afford counsel and becomes our client, we represent the rights of that client no matter who they are, what they are charged with, the evidence against them, or how popular they might be in the community. Our duty is to the law and to our clients.
The attorneys of the Child Advocacy Division of the Tulsa County Public Defender’s Office are appointed to represent minor children in domestic, guardianship and adoption cases.
The role of Child Advocacy Division attorneys is to advocate for the legal interests and expressed preferences of their clients. Child Advocacy attorneys should not be confused with Guardian Ad Litems, whose role is to advocate for the best interests of minor children.
Juvenile focuses on different types of cases that involve children under the age of 18 (minors). Juvenile Deprived matters involve cases related to the abuse and/or neglect of a minor, while Juvenile Delinquency matters involve violations of criminal laws by a minor.

Mission

To serve our clients by providing the highest quality of legal representation available from any source. To achieve the best possible results for the individual based upon the unique circumstances of each client’s life. To reduce human suffering by providing continuing assistance to those clients who request our help in dealing with the issues which led to their involvement in the legal system.