The more we neglect legal representation for those who can`t afford it, the more painful the social and financial costs to the State of Maine become. Gov. Janet Mills is asking the agency charged with defending low-income Mainers if it has done enough to recruit lawyers to address a persistent shortage. Please visit our public FAQ page to find out how to qualify for indigent legal services. If you think or know that you have been charged with a crime and a lawyer has not yet been appointed, you can call our helpline to speak to one of our employees to get information about available resources. (Helpline: (207) 287-3306). Do not hesitate to contact us for any other questions or comments. The vote on calling on lawmakers to consider a special session was not unanimous. Several commissioners expressed concern that they were overstepping the group`s bounds. But the majority supported the movement despite the recognition of little chance of success. Members of a committee are asking state lawmakers to return to Augusta for a special session to approve an emergency injection of money to the agency, which provides lawyers to low-income Mainers.
„I don`t see any way to keep who we have, or win someone back, or attract a lot of new people, unless the rate is more appropriate,” Justin Andrus, the agency`s executive director, told members of the board that oversees the commission. The dispute revolves around whether the state provides effective legal representation to the state`s poor. Please visit the About Us page to learn more about the Commission`s structure and responsibilities. Visit the lawyer`s FAQ page to find out how you are eligible to receive assignments and for answers to other questions about transitioning to the new system. „I think the road to a special session is unlikely,” said Commissioner Roger Katz, a lawyer and former Augusta state lawmaker who co-chairs the legislature`s budget committee. „But having said that, I think the need is there, the urgency is there. And when we do our job, we should shout it as loud as we can and as soon as possible. And even if it doesn`t lead to a special session, maybe it will set the stage for us to move forward in the next session. The Maine Commission on Legal Services for the Indigent is asking for $13 million to avert what officials have described as an emergency. Maine is the only state that relies on private lawyers to represent low-income defendants. However, the number of private lawyers willing to cooperate with the Commission has fallen from over 400 to fewer than 170 in the last 2 1/2 years.
And the ACLU of Maine filed a class action lawsuit alleging that the state fails to provide adequate legal representation to low-income defendants, as required by state and federal constitutions. The governor of Maine seems reluctant to convene a special session. She should think twice. With a shrinking list of lawyers, the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services wants to increase the hourly rate from $80 to $150 for lawyers who agree to represent low-income Mainers. The Maine Commission on Legal Services for the Indigent is asking for $13.3 million before next year to increase the hourly rate for lawyers. But lawmakers are expected to convene for an unlikely special session to approve spending. Commission officials proposed to increase the hourly wage of these private lawyers from $80 to $150. „We are getting candidates. We get calls. There`s a lot of interest,” Andrus said. „We have premises, we have people from outside. It`s really fantastic.
Meanwhile, Andrus said his office sees a lot of interest from lawyers who want to join a new public defense unit. It`s not that lawyers don`t want to represent low-income clients – it`s that we`ve made it impossible for each other to do it. The decision means the ACLU`s lawsuit against the state will have more than 5,800 defendants instead of 5. Earlier this year, state lawmakers provided money to hire five public defenders who would serve clients in predominantly rural Maine. The Commission for Destitute Legal Services applied for these positions because the agency has difficulty finding private lawyers willing to represent clients. Andrus said these job postings were only recently released after his office worked with the attorney general`s office and human resources officials to resolve bureaucratic issues related to positions and salary levels. New public defenders will be paid in the same way as prosecutors, he said. Gov. Mills and the Legislative Assembly could have dealt with this problem in the last session. Today, the crisis has intensified.