Opinion ID: 1834622
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: what are attorneys to be paid?

Text: We have noted our obligation to assure that indigent criminal defendants have counsel appointed to them. We also have indicated that lawyers must be paid for their services, and we cannot expect counsel to be effective advocates without adequate and reasonable compensation. [32] The token compensation allowed by our statute simply is not enough to allow courts to uphold their constitutional mandate. [33] In devising a scheme that adequately compensates court appointed counsel, we first note that the Legislature has been put on notice that a problem exists with our indigent criminal defense system. In 1980, the Mississippi Judicial Council sponsored a report critical of our system of assigned counsel. The report recommended that Mississippi adopt a more efficient public defender system and standardize compensation for auxilary assigned counsel based on prevailing rates for private counsel. See, Brief of Amicus Curiae Mississippi State Bar Association, citing Mississippi Courts: Organization and Management Analysis, in V Mississippi Court Finance Study 71-108 (Ernest H. Short and Associates, Inc. March 1980). Following the release of this study, the Legislature refused to authorize a requested interim study commission to review the extensive finding of the Judicial Council. See, Lefstein, Criminal Defense Services for the Poor, 58, A-50 (1982). Since that time, however, the Legislature established the limits effective in § 99-15-17. These limits have been in place since 1980, and they have remained until today. As the Attorney General recognized in his brief, the possibility that the statute would remain in tact as is exists because most recently ... Senate Bill 2264 and House Bills 582 and 628, all of which sought in one form or another to increase compensation for appointed counsel including compensation for defense of captial litigation, died in committee in the 1989 legislative session. BRIEF OF APPELLEE at 48, n. 33. [34] We, therefore, take this opportunity, as we are sworn to do, to establish guidelines which give equal justice to the poor and the rich. Before doing so, however, we first reject the state's proposal to place a statutory cap of $25 an hour for counsel representing an indigent criminal defendant during capital litigation. Not only would the state place a cap on the hourly rate, but it also recommends that those attorneys could only be paid for no more than two hundred hours. This in essence allows for a maximum of $5,000. Arbitrarily limiting the number of hours that an attorney can work (and be paid for) in representing criminal defendants raises grave constitutional concerns. See, supra, at 1355-1358. We already have emphasized the nature of criminal proceedings in general and capital litigation in particular. Were we to subscribe to this proposal, counsel for Pruett would go uncompensated for a total of 532 hours, and Wilson's counsel would not be compensated for 541.2 hours. [35] Because of our serious role in this type of litigation, we can not put a limitation on the number of hours that an attorney can be paid for in in representing an indigent defendant defendant, who is facing incarceration or death. In suggesting that there be a $25 hour cap for counsel representing indigent criminal defendants, the state calculates this hourly wage by equating defense counsel's rate to that of a district attorney. MISS. CODE ANN. § 25-3-32 sets the district attorney's salary at 90% of the circuit judge's salary. Therefore, his salary is $59,580.00 and based on a 40-hour work week the district attorney earns $28.64 per hour. An Assistant District Attorney's salary ranges from $15,000 to 85% of the salary of the district attorney. Consequently, the highest paid assistant district attorney would make $50,643.00. Based on these figures assistant district attorneys make between $7.21 and $24.35 per hour. See, MISS. CODE ANN. § 25-31-5(4) (Supp. 1990). Although this rate proposed by the state is slightly less than the district attorney, the fact that the state offers to establish counsel's hourly rate by tying it to the hourly rate of the district attorney is not an unreasonable approach. Cf. Lynch, 796 P.2d at 1161 (most even handed approach in setting fees is to tie the hourly rate of the counsel appointed for the indigent defendant to the hourly rate of the prosecutor/district attorney and the public defenders). As a matter of fact, the appellants concur that the approach could be the appropriate remedy. The state's hourly rate for the district attorney, however, does not include the office's overhead and litigation expense which the state provides. Stated another way, a district attorney's salary is pure profit to him because he has to pay no expenses from it. This includes the salary of her assistants and any investigator or other investigating officers who assist in investigation the case. A lawyer in practice must pay his overhead and other expenses from the fees that he earns. Therefore, [i]n order to place the counsel for defense on an equal footing with counsel for the prosecution, provision must be made for compensation of defense counsel's reasonable overhead and out of pocket expenses. Lynch, 796 P.2d at 1161. According to Pruett, a Mississippi lawyer's average office overhead is $25.36. Consequently, even at this amount that the state insists is reasonable would not cover counsel's overhead expenses. Inevitably, the state's remedy would still impinge upon those constitutional guarantees that we have considered. See, supra at 1355-1358. Furthermore, the $25 per hour rate proposed by the state is even less than the $26.12 hourly rate which the Florida Supreme Court characterized as far from reasonable compensation for an attorney who has the dreadful responsibility of trying to save a man from [execution]. White v. Board of Commissioners, 537 So.2d at 1379. In establishing a proper amount we note that the federal system recognizes the need for adequately compensated counsel for indigent criminal defendants. The Criminal Justice Act of 1964 provides for court appointed counsel to be paid $75 per hour for in court time; $40 for out-of-court time, and the $3,500 maximum may be waived for extended or complex representation. 18 U.S.C.A. § 3006A(d) (Supp. 1990). The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 provides that in a post-conviction proceeding seeking to set aside a death sentence, the court is to appoint experienced attorney and pay such rates or amounts as the court determines to be reasonably necessary. 21 U.S.C.A. § 848(q)(10) (Supp. 1990). When we turn to our sister states, we find that Mississippi is radically out of step with most other jurisdictions. Of the thirty-seven states that continue to sponsor capital punishment, only Mississippi and Arkansas have a legislatively mandated $1,000 cap. Most states allow counsel to be paid at a reasonable rate, and they do not impose stringent limitations. See, e.g., ALA. CODE § 15-12-21 (Supp. 1990) (No maximum for in-court time and $1,00 maximum for out of court time; counsel receives reimbursement for expenses incurred); ARIZ. REV. STAT. ANN. § 13-4013 (1989) (compensation equals amount that court finds reasonable); CAL.PENAL CODE § 987.2 (West 1985) (Supp. 1990) (counsel receives reasonable compensation as determined by court); FLA. STAT. ANN. § 925.036 (West 1985) (Supp. 1990) (Maximum of $3,500 but the court may waive this amount) [36] ; GA. CODE ANN. § 17-12-61 (1990) (Maximum set at $150, but court can look to § 17-12-5(b) and find extraordinary circumstances and therefore increase the award). See also, IDAHO CODE § 19-860 (Supp. 1990) (court awards reasonable rate of compensation, which is determined by complexity of the issues, time involved and other relevant considerations); MONT. CODE ANN. § 46-8-201 (Supp. 1989) (compensated reasonable rate to be determined by the judge); NEB. REV. STAT. § 29-1804.12 (1989) (judge awards all expenses reasonably necessary to permit counsel to effectively and competently represent his or her client. County must pay the full amount determined by the court); NEV.REV.STAT. § 7.125 (1987) ($6,000 maximum but court can waive this amount based on the complexity of the case; number of factual or legal issues; severity of the offense; time necessary to provide adequate defense or other special circumstances); N.C. GEN. STAT. § 7A-452 (1989) (Trial court awards reasonable compensation to be paid by state ) (emphasis added); S.D. CODIFIED LAWS ANN. § 23A-40-8, (1988) (reasonable and just compensation fixed by judge for services and for necessary expenses and costs incident thereto); TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. § art. 26.05 (Vernon 1989) (reasonable attorney fees based on labor required, complexity of case and experience and ability of appointed counsel); VA. CODE ANN. § 19.2-163 (1990) (trial court has sole discretion to fix amounts which are reasonable and reflective of time and effort expended on case); and WYO. STAT. § 7-6-109 (1987) (court appointed attorney shall be compensated for services with regard to complexity of the issue, the time involved, prevailing local fees of attorneys; the amount reasonably necessary to provide a defense as is required by constitutional process and other relevant consideration as determined by the court). Aside from the flexible standards provided by the various states and the federal government, the ABA believes that [c]apital counsel should be compensated for actual time and service performed. The objective should be to provide a reasonable rate of hourly compensation which is commensurate with the provision of effective assistance of counsel and which reflects the extraordinary responsibilities inherent in death penalty litigation. Guidelines in Death Penalty Cases, Guideline 10.1. [37] In crafting the proper remedy for court appointed counsel, we note that the state can expect attorneys to provide services to the public because they have the key to the courthouse when no one else does. The court is their gathering place where they conduct much of their business. And, this stage, provided at the public expense, is the place where attorneys put on their greatest performances. Just because they have access to our courts, however, does not mean that we can require attorneys to conduct a grand performance at no charge and at the same time burden them with the state's responsibility. The services that attorneys provide are part of their business. In our pecuniary culture we neither can not expect nor force attorneys to work at rates that are confiscatory of their time and talent. Today we hold that attorneys must be paid reasonable compensation when representing an indigent criminal defendant. [38] In any calculation of reasonable compensation, we emphasize that the calculation should factor in the cost of overhead expenses. Moreover, attorneys will have to be compensated for out-of-pocket expenses that are incurred during the course of his representation of the accused. We are cognizant of what the federal courts provide for counsel in representing indigent criminal defendants, who have become a part of the federal system. In addition, we are also aware of the flexibility in providing reasonable fees allowed by many other jurisdictions. We can not require counties to pay court appointed counsel the fair market rate for their services because there is a pro bono factor. But see, DeLisio, 740 P.2d at 443. In the alternative, however, we agree with the State and we hold that counsel's hourly rate must be tied to the hourly rate of the district attorney's office. We also hold that there is no maximum number of hours that counsel can represent an accused. Because we know that assistant district attorneys are paid at an hourly rate that is less than the district attorney, we hold that counsel in death penalty cases must be paid at the rate that the district attorney earns. [39] Because of our constitutional obligation to see that rich and poor alike are represented adequately; because of the inherent power of the court; and because of the serious role that this court plays in criminal prosecutions, we establish these guidelines to take effect immediately. We still invite the Legislature to address our entire indigent defense system. We know that this approach may impact adversely on some counties so therefore, we encourage the Legislature to consider the possibilities of establishing a criminal and/or capital defense fund project and putting more burden on the state instead of individual counties. However, until changes are made, which address the problems indictated throughout this opinion, these are the official guidelines to determine the proper pay for attorneys appointed to represent indigent defendants. Although we do not establish a ceiling for counsel hourly rate, we do establish a floor. In no case should counsel for inidigent defendants be paid less than $30 per hour. At the conclusion of each trial, however, there shall be a hearing. Counsel for defendant can present evidence from numerous sources to establish that he is entitled to be compensated at more than the $30 rate. In the trial court's determination, he must consider the complexity of the case; the experience of counsel involved; the time and labor involved in representing his client, which includes in-court and out-of-court time; the preclusion of other employment by the attorney due to the acceptance (appointment) of the case; the customary fee for similar work in the community; the undesirability of the case, as most capital cases are undesirable; and any other factor the court deems appropriate. See generally, Johnson v. Georgia Highway Express, Inc., 488 F.2d 714-19 (5th Cir.1974) (twelve considerations to determine a reasonable attorneys fees). Accord Carter v. Clegg, 557 So.2d 1187 (1990). The trial judge's determination shall be reviewable, however, when supported by sufficient and adequate findings, this decision only will be subject to this Courts familiar manifest error/abuse of discretion standard. We reiterate that courts must be allowed to reasonably, appropriately and adequately compensate attorneys just as they do other things that are absolutely essential to the performance of their judicial function. Makemson, 491 So.2d at 1113. See also, Hosford, 525 So.2d 789. Token compensation is not the answer. [40]