Forgery in Orange County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Orange County, we compared 71 Forgery cases with public defenders against 43 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 4.2 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

4.2%
PD Dismissal Rate
71 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
43 cases
-4.2 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Forgery charges in Orange County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 71 43
Dismissal Rate 4.2% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 71.8% 74.4%
Guilty Rate 53.5% 37.2%
Adjudication Withheld 18.3% 37.2%
Diversion Rate 14.1% 25.6%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 2 months 3.8 months
Avg Fine $177.50 $388.33
Avg Probation 1 year, 8 months 2.6 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 Forgery is 1.0% with public defenders and 0.6% with private attorneys (-0.4 point difference). Orange County's -4.2 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Orange County 4.2% 0.0% -4.2 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.0% 0.6% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in Orange County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 7,058 1.1% 1,080 1.2%
Traffic Offense 4,014 14.6% 3,298 11.6%
Larceny / Theft 5,124 3.0% 1,480 1.2%
DUI 1,190 2.6% 2,671 1.3%
Battery 2,384 6.2% 1,119 3.8%
Other 1,564 2.4% 1,446 2.4%
Resisting Officer 2,056 4.7% 466 2.8%
Trespassing 2,222 10.4% 248 4.8%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Orange County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Forgery compared to 4.2% for public defender clients. This is a -4.2 percentage point difference based on 114 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Forgery in Orange County is 71.8% with a public defender and 74.4% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.0% for public defenders and 0.6% for private attorneys. Orange County's difference of -4.2 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.4 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 · 114 cases analyzed · Orange County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026