Push 2 for the directory and choose the appropriate extension below.  For example, to reach Robert Bembridge push 2 for the attorney list and then 2 for his direct extension. 

Robert Bembridge 2 rbembridge@spd.state.ia.us

Kimberly DePalma 3 kdepalma@spd.state.ia.us

Laura Gavigan 4 lgavigan@spd.state.ia.us

Aaron Hawbaker 5 ahawbaker@spd.state.ia.us

Matt Hoffey  6 mhoffey@spd.state.ia.us

Konrad Kamizelich 7 kkamizelich@spd.state.ia.us

Dustin Lies 8 dlies@spd.state.ia.us

Amber Causey 9 acausey@spd.state.ia.us

Nichole Watt         0 nwatt@spd.state.ia.us

Nicholas Thompson   1 nthompson@spd.state.ia.us

The Waterloo Adult Public Defender Office has 10 attorneys, 2 investigators and 3 secretaries all working to represent people charged with crimes who cannot afford to hire an attorney on their own.    

Our office does not and cannot represent everyone who is arrested and qualifies for counsel.  We manage our case load to ensure we can provide effective representation which requires us to decline representing all people that qualify.  In Iowa, our system allows public defender offices to refer cases that we may have a conflict in representation and/or that would create an overload of cases in our office.  In that event, the case is either referred to another public defender office or to an attorney that contracts with the State Public Defender to represent persons who qualify.  

We handle indictable offenses, probation and parole violations, and related matters on behalf of our clients that arise from their charges.  An indictable offense is something other than a simple misdemeanor or ticket.  We do handle those simple misdemeanors and/or tickets that arose with an indictable offense or occured while our office already represented an individual charged with an indictable offense.

We do not cover civil matters such as landlord-tenant conflicts, child support, divorces, suits for damages etc. 

We have first responsibility for all cases in Black Hawk County.  We also are a designated office for most counties in northeast Iowa for Class A and/or Class B felonies under the designations established by the State Public Defender.  You can find those designations here.

In some cases, when the Adult Office has a conflict with a case, it will be referred to the Waterloo Juvenile Public Defender Office.  That office has an individual designated to work the conflict cases from our office.  The fact that the attorney resides at the Waterloo Juvenile Office has no bearing on the representation in adult court.