I have to agree with the fray on this one. Good ADA’s currently can’t afford to stay. They can be just as important as police officers in protecting the public. I also think that some of the other important state government legal professionals should be paid closer to market value, such as the good people over at Mass DEP and the like.
I also agree that when comparing the ADA salaries to the CPCS private counsel (also appallingly low) you have to take into consideration the lawyer’s overhead. (And aren’t there very restrictive billing requirements for those cases?)
Another thought- Maybe Massachusetts should go to all-salaried public defenders like they do in many other states. The billing process seems to encourage poor quality representation.
