Defenders Joined by NYC Officials in Pressing de Blasio Administration for Pay Boost
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller Scott Stringer lent their voices in support of a call by public defenders in the city for $50 million in funding to bring legal service advocate pay closer to what prosecutors and city attorneys currently make.
May 30, 2019 at 04:09 PM
3 minute read
New York City public defender organizations and their allies rallied on the steps of City Hall on Thursday to continue to put pressure on Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration to bring legal aid attorney salaries in line with those of their counterparts in city prosecutors' offices.
The Legal Aid Society, along with borough-based public defender organizations from Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, were joined in their call for an appropriation of $50 million from the mayor's office in next year's budget by two citywide elected officials, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller Scott Stringer.
“I have seen for years, up close, the incredible work that public defenders are doing on behalf of New Yorkers in need of legal aid, especially in low-income areas.” Williams said. “Those who are defending the people of our city deserve the same resources as those who are defending the City itself.”
According to the defenders, the city's DA offices received an increase of $15 million last year as part of the budget process, specifically meant to create greater parity between prosecutors and attorneys working for the city in the Corporation Counsel's office.
While government attorneys have benefited from efforts by the city, public defenders have “for too long” been paid “dramatically less than their counterparts,” according to Stringer.
“Closing this divide is an issue of fairness, not just for the staff and attorneys working to defend the most vulnerable, but for all New Yorkers who care about justice. The status quo isn't working and it has to change,” the comptroller said.
The City Council this year has recommended a similar amount be allotted to public defenders, who receive a significant portion of their funding through city contracts. But for Legal Aid Society attorney-in-chief and CEO Janet Sabel, the current allocation doesn't cover the wide variety of legal work being done by groups engaged in legal representation in places like housing and immigration court.
“Our staff works tirelessly to defend New Yorkers on a range of legal matters across the city each day. This is critical work, and the City must ensure that staff are being compensated at a wage commensurate with what their courtroom adversaries earn,” Sabel said.
The organizations on hand Thursday employ more than 2,000 attorneys covering all five boroughs of the city, according to a spokesman for the groups.
A City Hall spokesman said conversations with the council about the issue remained ongoing, adding that the de Blasio administration has increased providers' contracts by $44.2 million since 2014.
Related:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All'Final Countdown': SEC Launches Nearly 800% Litigation Surge in October
3 minute readCravath Elevates 7 to Partnership, Up From Last Year
NY District Attorneys Ask for Level Funding Amid Statewide Drop in Violent Crime
Trending Stories
- 1New York’s Equal Rights Amendment Is a Big Deal
- 2Blue-Ribbon Panel Calls for Pay Bumps for NYS Commissioners, But Says No to Lawmakers, Elected Officials
- 3'Outstanding Cooperation': Feds Seek Leniency in Sentencing for Ex-FTX Executive Gary Wang
- 4'Grave Matter of Serious Consequences': Why a Missouri Judge Sanctioned a Top Kirkland & Ellis Attorney
- 5Large Group Leaves DLA Piper Affiliate in Brazil to Form New Firm
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250