State lawmakers have released a legislative proposal that would increase pay for bar advocates and make revisions to Massachusetts’ public defender system.
According to the proposal, bar advocates will get an additional $20 per hour by the 2027 fiscal year. The rates per court assignment are outlined below:
However, bar advocates must sign biannual agreements with coverage and availability requirements,
Additionally, contractually bound bar advocates who refuse to accept case assignments unless pay is again increased face violating the state’s antitrust laws.
Finally, the proposal would provide an additional $40 million for the Committee on Public Counsel Services (CPCS). This is the state’s full-time public defense agency.
CPCS staff attorneys are salaried employees, unlike bar advocates who are private lawyers accepting court-appointed criminal cases.
The $40 million would be used to double the number of CPCS attorneys, adding 320 new full-time public defenders.
For the legislative proposal click the document below.