Public Defender Profited While His Clients Lost. Ken Armstrong and others.
by Armstrong, Ken; ProQuest Information and Learning Company.
Series: SIRS Enduring Issues 2005Article 74Institutions. Publisher: The Seattle Times, 2004ISSN: 1522-3256;.Subject(s): Fixed price contracts | Lawyers -- Corrupt practices | Lawyers -- Fees | Lawyers -- Workload | Legal assistance to the poor | Public defenders | Right to counsel | Washington (State)DDC classification: 050 Summary: "The 'single biggest predictor' of the quality of a public defender's work...is the size of the attorney's caseload. When it comes to felonies, the limit should be 150 cases a year, bar groups say. Last year [2003], public defender Thomas J. Earl of Washington's Grant County handled 413--a staggering figure that eviscerated the changes of a vigorous defense. At that rate, Earl could devote an average of only four hours per case, according to a formula used by the defender association....But as daunting as his caseload was, Earl didn't complain. Indeed, he invited the work--and the money it paid." (THE SEATTLE TIMES) This article highlights the case against Thomas J. Earl and suggests that "local governments have placed themselves--and countless indigent defendants--at the mercy of attorneys working under fixed-fee contracts, hoping personal integrity prevails where financial motivation fails."| Item type | Current location | Call number | Status | Date due |
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High School - old - to delete | REF SIRS 2005 Institutions Article 74 (Browse shelf) | Available |
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2005.
Originally Published: Public Defender Profited While His Clients Lost, April 12, 2004; pp. n.p..
"The 'single biggest predictor' of the quality of a public defender's work...is the size of the attorney's caseload. When it comes to felonies, the limit should be 150 cases a year, bar groups say. Last year [2003], public defender Thomas J. Earl of Washington's Grant County handled 413--a staggering figure that eviscerated the changes of a vigorous defense. At that rate, Earl could devote an average of only four hours per case, according to a formula used by the defender association....But as daunting as his caseload was, Earl didn't complain. Indeed, he invited the work--and the money it paid." (THE SEATTLE TIMES) This article highlights the case against Thomas J. Earl and suggests that "local governments have placed themselves--and countless indigent defendants--at the mercy of attorneys working under fixed-fee contracts, hoping personal integrity prevails where financial motivation fails."
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