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Today’s Boston Globe’s front page has a split personality

February 14, 2011 By AmberPaw

Unfortunately, I personally have no way to validate or invalidate the statistics I get from either DAs or The Committee for Public Counsel Services.  According to the DAs, there are no funds they receive except staff salaries. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: antony-benedetti, bar-advocate, benefits, boston-globe, dan-conley, district-attorney, indigent-defense, overhead, samuel-sutter

Another attack on indigent defense

October 19, 2010 By AmberPaw

The Boston Globe ran an editorial State can save on lawyers by hiring more public defenders   which is sadly based on a misunderstanding of what court-appointed attorneys and DAs do.  First, it is easier to accuse than to disprove … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: bar-advocate, court-appointed-attorney, da, gideon, public-defender, right-to-counsel, sutter

Thank you Gov. Patrick for your historic support for the 6th Amendment

July 13, 2008 By AmberPaw

Many of you may not remember, but in 2003, then Gov. Romney vetoed 20% of the funding for bar advocates and the 6th Amendment right to counsel.  [This is line item 0321-1510]  Line item 0321-1510 had come out of the legislature … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: 6th-amendment, bar-advocate, budget, deval-patrick

Rosemary Cooper, heroic bar advocate and great grandmother dies on January 22, 2008

January 24, 2008 By AmberPaw

I wrote the following poem, remembering the sea in her eys and the ocean winds in her hair: By the Shore  (After Teasdales' "On the Dunes", for Rosemary) If there is any life when death is over, The Newport Shore will know much of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: bar-advocate, hero, indigent-defense, rosemary-cooper

John Thompson to receive award – a courageous bar advocate

December 30, 2007 By AmberPaw

Today - court appointed attorneys who protect the public, and honor the Sixth Amendment right to counsel remain the only professionals who are subject to conscription, to being forced to work without their consent in the United States. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: appellate-law, bar-advocate, conscription, courage, massachusetts-bar-association, massachusetts-lawyers-weekly

Bar Advocate stalled back pay passed tonight!

October 11, 2007 By AmberPaw

The House and Senate passed a Supplemental Budget tonight.  It contains the money to pay invoices submitted by court appointed attorneys, some times called "bar advocates" for work done between 4/1/07 and 6/30/07, timely billed, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: bar-advocate, indigent-defense, public-defender, supplemental-budget

Short and sour – court appointed attorneys STILL unpaid for FY 07 work

October 4, 2007 By AmberPaw

And no date on the horizon, either.  So work done from 4/1/07 - 6/30/07 is still unpaid for 2371 attorneys.  And, if the attorney waits more than 30 days to bill after a case closes - there is a 10% penalty.If the Commonwealth … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: bar-advocate, court-appointed-attorney, supplemental-budget, working-without-being-paid

Tuesday could be the day for those 2371 unpaid court-appointed attorneys!

September 30, 2007 By AmberPaw

As for me, I cannot take another day off from my work in my own office.  I have no "W2 income" - if I do not work, I do not earn an income.If I do not get paid for the work I do, I cannot pay my bills.  So although I do close my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: 6th-amendment, bar-advocate, civic-engagement, indigent-defense, supplemental-budget

Update on the Ohio Public Defender – remember him? He refused to go to trial unprepared.

August 31, 2007 By AmberPaw

Turns out Brian Jones was only three months out of law school - but he sure has "brass balls" if you ask me.John Wesley Hall, Jr., the President elect of the National Association of Defense Lawyers (NACDL)testified as an expert witness on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: bar-advocate, brian-jones, contempt, indigent-defense, nacdl, public-defender

The Lynn Item covers the continuing failure to pay court-appointed attorneys

August 21, 2007 By AmberPaw

To quote the secretary of the Essex County Bar Assn.:Members of the Essex County Bar Association Advocates in Salem remain similarly perplexed.?Our members have a contract with the state, which insures them at all times, and states they … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: balance-budget, bar-advocate, budget-transparency, indigent-defense, lynn

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