Can $345 Pay for Justice?
The Los Angeles Times has an excellent story today on the juvenile public defender system in Los Angeles County. LA County is one of very few jurisdictions that pays private attorneys who agree to take public defense cases (many go to salaried public defenders, but the remainder are taken by these “panel” attorneys) a flat fee for all juvenile justice cases. In this case, $345. The story tells of the impact the flat fee can have on cases, limiting attorneys’ time with clients and leading many lawyers to take on as many cases as possible in order to make enough money. The National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) has a great discussion of and response to the article where it explains the dangers of this system and some of the nuances the article can’t get in to.