The data says yes. Public defenders are oftentimes recent law school graduates and this is their first experience out of law school. Many good private attorneys started their career in the public defenders office or the district attorneys office and gained legal experience prosecuting and defending crimes before they went out on their own. They use the experience they gained in those positions to now defend their clients. Studies show defendants with a private lawyer get lower conviction rates and shorter sentences than people with a public defender. It is not because public defenders are bad at their job. It is because a private lawyer has the experience, the time, the money, and the freedom to fight your case the way it needs to be fought. Your lawyer only has 20 to 50 cases. The public defender has 300. Who do you think has more time for your case?
