Section 15-11-6. (Effective until January 1, 2014) Right to counsel

   (a)  "Indigent person" defined. An indigent person is one who at the time of requesting counsel is unable without undue financial hardship to provide for full payment of legal counsel and all other necessary expenses for representation.

(b)  Right to legal representation. Except as otherwise provided under this article, a party is entitled to representation by legal counsel at all stages of any proceedings alleging delinquency, unruliness, incorrigibility, or deprivation and if, as an indigent person, a party is unable to employ counsel, he or she is entitled to have the court provide counsel for him or her. If a party appears without counsel, the court shall ascertain whether such party knows of his or her right to counsel and to be provided with counsel by the court if he or she is an indigent person. The court may continue the proceeding to enable a party to obtain counsel and shall provide counsel for an unrepresented indigent person upon the request of such a person. Counsel must be provided for a child not represented by the child's parent, guardian, or custodian. If the interests of two or more parties conflict, separate counsel shall be provided for each of them.

Ga. L. 1968, p. 1013, § 11; Code 1933, § 24A-2001, enacted by Ga. L. 1971, p. 709, § 1; Code 1981, § 15-11-30; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1017, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1930, § 2; Code 1981, § 15-11-6, as redesignated by Ga. L. 2000, p. 20, § 1.