The low payment rates for bar advocates in Massachusetts, set at $65 per hour for district court work, have reached such a crisis point that many attorneys are opting out of representing indigent clients. As a result of this inadequate compensation, nearly 80% of public defender cases are affected, leading to hundreds of bar advocates halting their services. Comparatively, neighboring states offer more than double this rate. Established attorneys express concern regarding the future of public defense in the state, noting a notable exodus from the profession due to the financial constraints imposed by the current compensation structure.
"It was a very hard decision, but it's one of those situations where you're doing something that might be painful in the short term, but in the long term, it will have a much broader impact on the greater good for everybody else."
"The correlation is obvious. It's because those well-qualified, zealous advocates have chosen to move on to practice in a different area, or just do exclusively private criminal defense work, or go to surrounding states and practice there."
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