Virginia statute
Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-157 — Duty of court when accused appears without counsel
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Article 3: Appointment of Attorney for Accused, Code of Virginia.
Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-157
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the text of the Code of Virginia from the official Virginia Law Portal API published by the Virginia General Assembly's Division of Legislative Automated Systems; it is not the official Code of Virginia.
Except as may otherwise be provided in §§ 16.1-266 through 16.1-268 , whenever a person charged with a criminal offense the penalty for which may be confinement in the state correctional facility or jail, including charges for revocation of suspension of imposition or execution of sentence or probation, appears before any court without being represented by counsel, the court shall inform him of his right to counsel. The accused shall be allowed a reasonable opportunity to employ counsel or, if appropriate, the statement of indigence provided for in § 19.2-159 may be executed.
Official sources
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.