Legal News

Fees withheld for private appellate counsel as budget crisis continues

By Richard Binder

California's continuing $42 billion budget crisis has hit hundreds of private appellate lawyers who handle indigent criminal appeals in the state.

On Feb. 6, state Controller John Chiang began withholding an estimated $5 million in monthly claims submitted from court-appointed appellate counsel for compensation. The Controllers Office will delay payment by at least 30 days on lawyers' pay claims sent to the Controller by the Administrative Office of the Courts after Jan. 29, according a spokesman for the AOC. It is not known exactly how many lawyers will be getting IOUs but there are 800 attorneys handling criminal appeals through various state projects around California and payment claims come in at a rate of four to six per day, the AOC reports.

Read the full NLJ article here.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on February 10, 2009 (boomark / email).