Yet we're nearly back to that here in New York. For 15 years, the state has refused to raise the rates paid to attorneys who represent the poor in Family Court and criminal cases. In those same 15 years, the state's legislators have raised pay for themselves and for members of the judiciary no less than four times. As a result, experienced lawyers have stopped taking assignments, and lawsuits have been commenced to compel New York to comply with the constitutional mandate of Gideon. Money does buy justice.
Money pays for lawyers, experts and investigators.
Even the most socially committed lawyers find that they can no longer afford to take on these cases and still render high-quality legal services, pay their overhead and provide for their families. Experienced lawyers are leaving assigned-counsel panels, never to return. The poor are being represented by the least-experienced lawyers. We are told that a commission appointed by the governor to review the problem may not finish its report in time for action this year. Yet this is not a question of pork-barrel spending, or even of simply following the Gideon constitutional mandate.