There is a crisis in the court-appointed system in Pennsylvania. The crisis is because the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refuses to put into place a statewide funding system and a statewide system to have some sense of uniformity for indigent defense either through the public defender’s office or through conflict or appointed counsel. The current systems are haphazard, are dependent on county funding and are woefully inadequate.
For instance, in Philadelphia, a court-appointed lawyer gets paid $40 out of court and $50 in court for a Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) appointment. But the lawyer does not get paid until the case is concluded. That could be years. The same is true in Philadelphia for indigent appeals. One could file a brief in the Superior Court and argue it, file a petition for re-argument, file a petition for allowance of appeal, and file a brief in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and not be paid one penny until the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denies or grants the appeal. That could be a period sometimes of four to five years.
This content has been archived.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
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
