CANTON, N.Y. -- Assistant Public Defender Renee Albaugh says, "Right now the case load is astronomical."

St. Lawrence County has recently lost four of its top attorneys. This leaves community members with limited representation in a time when they might need it most.

Mary Rain, the St. Lawrence County Public Defender, said, "You have the experienced [attorneys] leaving, which leaves the inexperienced [attorneys] overwhelmed and under trained."

Chief Assistant DA Alexander Lesyk has announced his intent to resign this coming September. Resignations such as this leave the newcomers uncertain about their own career choices.

Albaugh said, "When it gets to the point where I am so over-worked where I can't represent one person the way I would like to, then I have to say enough is enough."

The St. Lawrence County Public Defender said there are not enough bodies in the department to handle the immense case load. The department is so understaffed, some assistant attorneys are asking defendants to represent themselves.

Albaugh recalls at one point she turned to her client and said, "Do you think you can go in alone?"

According to Albaugh, she has roughly 160 cases open daily, a number that makes it impossible to give her clients thorough legal guidance. The Public Defender says this sense of inadequate representation and immense workload are part of the reason attorneys are leaving public counsel.

"They are not getting any kind of relief, they are not getting a break and it creates a low sense of morale and that is why a lot of the experienced people leaving," said Rain.

With caseloads building and representation dropping, community members will find it hard to schedule an appointment with these local attorneys.

The county administrator opted to make no comment.