13B.8 Office of local public defender.

1. The state public defender may establish or abolish local public defender offices. In determining whether to establish or abolish a local public defender office, the state public defender shall consider the following:

a. The number of cases or potential cases where a local public defender is or would be involved.

b. The population of the area served or to be served.

c. The willingness of the local private bar to participate in cases where a public defender is or would be involved.

d. Other factors which the state public defender deems to be important.

2. The state public defender may appoint and may, for cause, remove the local public defender, assistant local public defenders, clerks, investigators, secretaries, or other employees. Each local public defender, and any assistant local public defender, must be an attorney admitted to the practice of law before the Iowa supreme court.

3. The compensation of the local public defender and staff of the local public defender offices shall be fixed by the state public defender.

4. a. The state public defender shall provide separate and suitable office space, furniture, equipment, computers, support staff, and supplies for each office of the local public defender out of funds appropriated to the state public defender for this purpose.

b. The state public defender may enter into agreements with the office of the chief information officer created in chapter 8B to provide or procure suitable computer networks and other information technology services to or for each office of the state public defender, including the central administrative office and the office of the state appellate defender, and to each office of the local public defender.

5. An employee of a local public defender office shall not have access to any confidential client information in any other local public defender office, and the state public defender shall not have access to such confidential information.

88 Acts, ch 1161, §8; 91 Acts, ch 268, §412, 439; 95 Acts, ch 67, §3; 99 Acts, ch 135, §7; 2000 Acts, ch 1115, §1; 2000 Acts, ch 1154, §4; 2002 Acts, ch 1067, §6 – 8; 2002 Acts, ch 1119, §117; 2017 Acts, ch 88, §3