Criminal Defense Services Inc

Criminal Defense Services, Inc. (CDSI) is a non-profit organization operating exclusively in Ramsey County, Minnesota. The organization provides legal services to poor and low-income criminal defendants who do not qualify for a public defender but have limited funds for a private attorney.

CDSI's panel of approximately 20 private attorneys volunteer their services as a community service. These attorneys appear at arraignments in Room 131A of the Ramsey County Courthouse, the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center, and Ramsey County's Suburban Courthouse in Maplewood. They conduct initial consultations to determine if individuals meet specific financial guidelines for CDSI services.

The types of cases CDSI attorneys handle are limited to petty misdemeanors, misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, and certain low-level felony offenses. Specific case types include Misdemeanor I and II, Gross Misdemeanor I and II, and Felonies - Level I through Level IV severity. Clients who qualify pay a reduced rate for legal representation, which is well below the private rate an attorney would otherwise charge, and sign a written retainer agreement. An attorney-client relationship is established upon payment of the quoted fee and a signed retainer agreement.