Assault in Lee County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Lee County, we compared 64 Assault cases with public defenders against 45 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Private attorneys achieved a 0.6 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

1.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
64 cases
2.2%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
45 cases
+0.6 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
The data shows private attorneys achieve a 0.6 percentage point higher dismissal rate for Assault in Lee County. Get matched with a local defense attorney — free, no obligation.

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 64 45
Dismissal Rate 1.6% 2.2%
Conviction Rate 75.0% 86.7%
Guilty Rate 59.4% 57.8%
Adjudication Withheld 15.6% 28.9%
Diversion Rate 4.7% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 5 months 1 year, 4 months
Avg Fine $0.00 $0.00
Avg Probation 2.0 years 3.1 years

Important context: Correlation is not causation. Private attorney clients may differ from public defender clients in income, prior criminal history, charge severity, and willingness to go to trial. These factors independently affect outcomes. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

Statewide Comparison

Statewide, the dismissal rate for Assault is 2.7% with public defenders and 1.7% with private attorneys (-1.0 point difference). Lee County's 0.6 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Lee County 1.6% 2.2% +0.6 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.7% 1.7% -1.0 pts

Other Charges in Lee County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 1,091 0.1% 567 0.0%
Traffic Offense 449 0.0% 379 0.0%
DUI 271 0.4% 405 0.0%
Resisting Officer 412 0.7% 196 0.0%
Battery 355 1.1% 201 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 389 1.3% 124 0.0%
Other 207 0.0% 103 0.0%
Trespassing 199 4.0% 42 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Lee County, private attorney clients have a 2.2% dismissal rate for Assault compared to 1.6% for public defender clients. This is a 0.6 percentage point difference based on 109 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Assault in Lee County is 75.0% with a public defender and 86.7% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.7% for public defenders and 1.7% for private attorneys. Lee County's difference of 0.6 points compares to a statewide difference of -1.0 points.

Conviction includes guilty pleas and adjudication withheld. Data covers 2023–2025 FDLE public court records. Last updated: March 2026

Important: Differences in outcomes between public defenders and private attorneys may reflect differences in case complexity, defendant resources, charge severity, and other factors — not solely attorney quality. These statistics do not predict individual case outcomes.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 109 cases analyzed · Lee County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026