Battery in Seminole County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Seminole County, we compared 1,055 Battery cases with public defenders against 562 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.7 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

3.1%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,055 cases
1.4%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
562 cases
-1.7 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Battery charges in Seminole County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 1,055 562 154
Dismissal Rate 3.1% 1.4% 0.6%
Conviction Rate 76.0% 63.2% 85.1%
Guilty Rate 57.0% 34.7% 46.8%
Adjudication Withheld 19.1% 28.5% 38.3%
Diversion Rate 16.1% 31.7% 11.0%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 4 months 1 year, 7 months 7.1 months
Avg Fine $1,817 $303.85 $475.00
Avg Probation 1 year, 4 months 1 year, 7 months 11.8 months

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 Battery is 2.7% with public defenders and 1.9% with private attorneys (-0.8 point difference). Seminole County's -1.7 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Seminole County 3.1% 1.4% -1.7 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.7% 1.9% -0.8 pts

Other Charges in Seminole County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 2,383 1.0% 1,704 0.6%
Drug Possession 2,548 0.2% 910 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 2,332 0.8% 943 0.4%
Resisting Officer 1,450 1.3% 455 0.9%
Other 741 1.5% 641 5.3%
Trespassing 947 4.0% 79 5.1%
Sex Offense 360 0.8% 485 0.2%
Fraud 474 0.8% 187 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Seminole County, private attorney clients have a 1.4% dismissal rate for Battery compared to 3.1% for public defender clients. This is a -1.7 percentage point difference based on 1,617 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Battery in Seminole County is 76.0% with a public defender and 63.2% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.7% for public defenders and 1.9% for private attorneys. Seminole County's difference of -1.7 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.8 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 · 1,617 cases analyzed · Seminole County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026