REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR PUBLIC DEFENDER SERVICES CONTRACTS -- JUSTICE COURT Public Defender Contract - Justice Court -- Summit County is currently accepting applications for Public Defender duties of indigent cases in Justice Court. There are two contracts available to award. Contractors will be required to appear in all courts where Summit County cases are held, whether in Summit County or other conflict justice court locations. The contract term will begin January 1, 2027, and expire December 31, 2028, with the option of a one-time, 24-month renewal. These are personal services contracts and each contract will be awarded to an individual attorney, not to a law firm. The Summit County Public Defender contracts are non-assignable. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, a member in good standing of the Utah Bar and competent in the criminal practice of law. Qualified Candidates shall be required to provide competent and timely representation and counsel for each indigent defendant who has been charged by the Summit County Attorney's Office with violations of Utah law in the Summit County Justice Court. Candidates must be available and accessible to indigent clients reasonably in advance of any hearing or trial and must make reasonable efforts to visit indigent defendants who are incarcerated in the Summit County Jail, admitted to a hospital or otherwise confined at the earliest possible moment, to return telephone calls as soon as reasonably possible, and to otherwise be reasonably accessible to all indigent defendants. Representation of indigent defendants includes appeals in the District Court from Justice Court cases, availability during the regular initial appearance days as well as pretrial, motion, and trial days. Contracts each pay $55,000 annually with the option of a CPI-adjusted increase in subsequent years (pending appropriations approval from the County Council). Please send letter of interest, resume and references to Summit County, Purchasing Department, P.O. Box 128, Coalville, Utah, 84017, or electronically to [For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address.](). Applications must be received by Summit County Purchasing by Monday, November 23, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. MDT. Summit County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
