Also: Are fees to court-appointed lawyers unjust?
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We also have for you a story on what local lawyers are being paid by the county when they are appointed to represent defendants ([link removed]) who don't have the means to pay for their own legal representation. A lot of lawyers think the pay is unfair, but that may be changing soon.
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** Criminal defense on the cheap? Allegheny County inching toward fix for cut-rate court-appointed lawyer system ([link removed])
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Criminal defendants in the county who can’t afford private attorneys, known as indigent defendants, often find their fates in the hands of lawyers who get paid based on caps set in 2006. For a preliminary hearing involving anything from retail theft to a violent felony, these lawyers are compensated $250 regardless of how much time they spend on the case.
According to attorney Kate Lovelace, the modest compensation can deter court-appointed attorneys from vigorously committing themselves to defending indigent clients.
“The whole way that this system is designed is so you should plead something out at the first listing [for a hearing] to make the most money,” said Lovelace. “That is the incentive and that doesn’t sit right.”
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