Drug Trafficking in Lake County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Lake County, we compared 31 Drug Trafficking cases with public defenders against 118 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Private attorneys achieved a 1.7 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
31 cases
1.7%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
118 cases
+1.7 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
The data shows private attorneys achieve a 1.7 percentage point higher dismissal rate for Drug Trafficking in Lake 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 31 118
Dismissal Rate 0.0% 1.7%
Conviction Rate 100.0% 94.1%
Guilty Rate 100.0% 93.2%
Adjudication Withheld 0.0% 0.8%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.8%
Avg Sentence 7.6 years 10.9 years
Avg Fine $68,185 $87,159
Avg Probation 4.8 years 4.2 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 Drug Trafficking is 1.8% with public defenders and 2.4% with private attorneys (0.6 point difference). Lake County's 1.7 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Lake County 0.0% 1.7% +1.7 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.8% 2.4% +0.6 pts

Other Charges in Lake County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 2,957 0.6% 1,281 1.4%
Traffic Offense 2,292 1.1% 1,517 0.3%
Larceny / Theft 1,693 1.6% 649 0.3%
Other 1,040 2.1% 921 3.3%
Battery 1,102 2.0% 631 1.1%
Resisting Officer 1,054 2.2% 428 1.2%
DUI 415 1.0% 651 0.6%
Trespassing 907 5.5% 135 0.7%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Lake County, private attorney clients have a 1.7% dismissal rate for Drug Trafficking compared to 0.0% for public defender clients. This is a 1.7 percentage point difference based on 149 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Trafficking in Lake County is 100.0% with a public defender and 94.1% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.8% for public defenders and 2.4% for private attorneys. Lake County's difference of 1.7 points compares to a statewide difference of 0.6 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 · 149 cases analyzed · Lake County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026