INDIGENT DEFENSE SERVICES
The Office of Indigent Defense Services (OIDS) provides financial services, guidance and statistical data to the judicial courts of Alabama. It also ensures that every indigent defendant represented receives the fullest measure of due process required by law in a cost-effective manner while maintaining fiscal responsibility for the State. The office also oversees the payment of court appointed attorneys for certain legal services performed on behalf of indigent clients in the State’s family courts.
Physical Address:
Office of Indigent Defense Services
100 N. Union Street, Suite 680
Montgomery, AL 36104
Ph (334) 242-7059 Fax (334) 353-4405
Mailing Address:
Office of Indigent Defense Services
P.O. Box 302598
Montgomery, AL 36130-2598
Chris Roberts, Division Director
christopher.roberts@oids.alabama.gov
John Morris, Accounting Manager
john.morris@oids.alabama.gov
Deborah Fenn, Accountant
deborah.fenn@oids.alabama.gov
Derek Johnston, Staff Accountant
derek.johnston@oids.alabama.gov
Judy Prater, Accounting Technician
judy.prater@oids.alabama.gov
Edwina Straughn, Staff Accountant
edwina.straughn@oids.alabama.gov
Marcella Willis, Assistant to Director
marcella.willis@oids.alabama.gov
Shamekia Thomas, Account Clerk
shamekia.thomas@oids.alabama.gov
Kim Scott, Accounting Technician
kim.scott@oids.alabama.gov
Alabama Indigent Defense Claims Center 
AIDCC is our online reporting application for attorneys. After you become an established vendor within STAARS VSS, you will need to notify OIDS that you are ready for access to AIDCC. Please contact Edwina Straughn at edwina.straughn@oids.alabama.gov or Ph (334) 242-7039. After you receive an email containing your user ID and temporary password you can sign into AIDCC. Click here to watch the Claim Management and Submission Training video.
Hard Copy Submission of Claims
For court reporters, experts and appellate claims hard copy fee declarations must be submitted to OIDS. After you become an established vendor in STAARS, fee declarations should be submitted to OIDS via our mailing address.
STAARS Vendor Self Service (VSS)
Registration in the STAARS VSS system is required of new vendors in order to do business with the State of Alabama. For information on registering and using VSS please click here STAARS VSS. (Please note that if an entity has already done business with the State of Alabama prior to STAARS implementation, the vendor will already have an account.) Please contact OIDS for confirmation prior to new registration.
Attorneys who work with a firm will need to make two entries in VSS when registering a new Tax ID Number (TIN) for that firm. For example, Leslie Jones who works for the firm of Smith, Jones & Williams, PC wants payments to be made using the TIN of the firm. Therefore, she would register in the following:
Smith, Jones & Williams, PC
100 Union Street
Anytown, AL 36699
Leslie Jones
Smith, Jones and Williams, PC
100 Union Street
Anytown, AL 36699
Payment is made in the appointed attorney’s name and the income is reported under the firm’s TIN. Similarly, if an attorney wants to register the address for a factoring firm that advances funds, they would enter the mailing address for the factoring firm in addition to the attorney’s address such as:
Leslie Jones
Factoring firm address
Anytown, AL 36699
A factoring firm can be registered only after the child account has been created.
For technical support please contact Edwina Straughn at edwina.straughn@oids.alabama.gov or Ph (334) 242-7039.
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