The Municipal Public Defender appointed hereunder
shall be an attorney at law of the State of New Jersey in good standing,
and shall serve for the term of one year from his or her date of appointment;
however, he or she may continue to serve in office pending reappointment
or appointment of a successor.
The Municipal Public Defender may be appointed
to the position of Municipal Public Defender in the Township of Mansfield
as well as any other municipal court within the State of New Jersey.
The Municipal Public Defender shall not be required
to reside within the Township of Mansfield.
The appointment as Municipal Public Defender
of the Township of Mansfield shall not disqualify said attorney from
representing private clients in the Township of Mansfield subject
to the rules of Court governing the conduct of lawyers, judges and
court personnel of the State of New Jersey.
Any person applying for representation by the
Municipal Public Defender or court approved counsel shall be required
to pay an application fee of $200. Notwithstanding the same, the Judge
of the Municipal Court of the Township of Mansfield may waive the
required application fee in whole or in part, only if said Judge determines,
in his discretion, upon a clear and convincing showing by the applicant,
that the application fee represents an unreasonable burden on the
person seeking representation. The Municipal Court Judge may permit
a person to pay the application fee over specified period of time
not to exceed four months from the date of application. The Municipal
Public Defender shall receive compensation in accordance with the
salary ordinances adopted from time to time by the Township of Mansfield.
The terms used herein shall have the following
meanings:
INDIGENT DEFENDANT
A period who is entitled to be represented by a Municipal
Public Defender who does not have the present financial ability to
secure competent legal representation.
MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER
A person appointed to represent indigent defendants in proceedings
over which the Municipal Court of the Township of Mansfield has jurisdiction.