1. That's "arraignment".
2. You get a chance to enter a plea at an arraignment; but as cyjeff suggests it's often a time to simply enter your initial plea as opposed to being able to enter a plea bargain. If a prosecutor is there, you can see if you can negotiate a deal for entry into diversion. If not, and you want to reserve your ability to bargain at a later date, you need to plead 'not guilty'.
3. If you want to hire a private lawyer, that's your right and I doubt that anybody would view it as "too aggressive". Private's not always better. The appointment of lawyers is up to the court, based upon your financial qualification.