Section 3-6.Appearances for Bail, Detention Hearing, or Alternative Arraignment Proceedings Only

Section 3-6 carves out three specific situations where an attorney can appear for a defendant or respondent for one purpose only, without becoming counsel of record for the whole case. Each version has to be in writing and carry a specific label.

Under subsection (a), before any other attorney has entered an appearance, an attorney can appear solely to represent a criminal defendant at a bail hearing. That appearance must be styled “for the purpose of the bail hearing only,” and it entitles the attorney to confer with the prosecuting authority about bail. Under subsection (b), an attorney can appear in a delinquency proceeding solely to represent the respondent at a detention hearing, styled “for the purpose of detention hearing only.” Under subsection (c), an attorney can appear for a criminal defendant facing a motion for remote or in-absentia arraignment under Section 37-1 (c), covering the hearing on that motion, the arraignment itself, and the period until the defendant’s first court appearance. That appearance must be styled “for the purpose of alternative arraignment proceedings only,” and it lets the attorney confer with the prosecuting authority about those matters.