Q: Can we simply plead guilty and avoid the necessity of hiring an attorney?

A: No. The very first court notice in Juvenile Court is a mandatory assignment of counsel hearing notice. This notice is a directive to the child and his or her family that they must hire an attorney to appear at the hearing or apply for a public defender to handle the case. No proceedings shall be undertaken by the court unless and until representation is obtained for the child. You will therefore need to hire a NJ juvenile criminal lawyer for your son or daughter absent your qualifying as indigent.