If she cannot afford an attorney, she should ask the judge to appoint the public defender when she appears in court. Public defenders are attorneys paid by the county to represent people who cannot afford to hire their own lawyers.

Attorneys are like doctors, plumbers, mechanics and other professionals who have nothing to sell but their time and experience. If they don't charge what their time is worth, they don't stay in business long.

Most experienced attorneys will not do cases with a small down payment and small monthly fees. The ones who do usually have to make up by taking lots of cases, so they are just as busy as a public defender.

In case anyone else reads this note, I'll just add that I usually advise people not to empty their bank accounts to bail somebody out of jail. If you get a bail bond, you will never see that money again. It's better to save your funds to hire an attorney, who can often get a client released without posting bail at their first court appearance.

I'm always willing to discuss cases. If we can come to an arrangement for the fees, then we go on from there. If we cannot, for whatever reason, then I'll be happy to assist in making sure you know the best way to assure representation for your sister - either with the public defender or another attorney.

I am also willing to discuss cases and representation arrangements. Please let me know if you'd like to speak about this more.

Without funds, she must apply for the Public Defender. It is their job to represent people without money, and why they are paid by the taxpayers.