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The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission Act was enacted in 2013.

The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) is a state agency overseen by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The MIDC’s website contains a wealth of valuable information.

What We Do

The mission of the Oakland County Indigent Defense Services Office is to ensure that Oakland County provides competent, caring, and effective legal representation to every person charged with a crime in our System who cannot afford to hire an attorney.

The Indigent Defense Services Office (IDSO) was created by Oakland County in October of 2021 to ensure that our System complies with Standard 5 of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) standards.

The Chief Attorney of the IDSO, along with the other staff members, are responsible for providing appointed attorneys to people who meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Are indigent, meaning the person cannot afford to hire an attorney;
  2. Are an adult;
    The definition of "adult" includes a person less than 18 years of age under the following four circumstances:
    1. When the prosecutor charges the person as an adult (i.e. an "auto-waiver" case);
    2. When the prosecutor files a petition asking the juvenile court to waive jurisdiction (i.e. a "traditional waiver" case)
    3. When the prosecutor designates a case under MCL 712A.2d
    4. When the prosecutor files a petition asking the court to designate a case under MCL 712A.2d
  3. Are charged with a felony crime in any Oakland County court OR are charged with a misdemeanor crime in one of the divisions of the 52nd District Court (Novi, Clarkston, Rochester Hills, or Troy).

Please note that the IDSO is not responsible for appointing attorneys on any Juvenile or Probate cases, except under the circumstances listed above. If you have questions about a Juvenile or Probate appointment, please contact the Circuit or Probate Court.

If you are looking for court records, please use the Oakland County Clerk's Court Explorer website (for Circuit Court records), the State of Michigan's JIS website (for District Court records), or the Court of Appeals' website for appellate records.

If you have a loved one in the Oakland County Jail you can search the Sheriff's Office Inmate Locator, or get further information about how to send them money or post their bond.

Attorneys attempting to use the "Smart Communications" system to communicate with their clients may find the following resources helpful:

If you would like to file a formal complaint against an attorney, please use this form. Please read all of the instructions on this form before submitting it: