Don&#x27;t blame the &quot;lawyer&#x27;s guild&quot; for this.  This is not a matter of supply and demand; there are currently more lawyers looking for work than there are jobs available.<p>Public defenders are largely government employees. Most governments have resisted increasing the budgets of their respective Public Defenders&#x27; offices to allow for the hiring of additional staff. Blame the legislators, and blame the taxpayers for not wanting to pay an extra $1&#x2F;year.