MILWAUKEE (AP) - Wisconsin attorneys want to increase the rate lawyers are paid to take indigent cases.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (https://bit.ly/2rkxRd5 ) reports a group of attorneys plan to ask the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday to raise the rate from $40 per hour to $100 per hour. That would cost the state about $34 million annually and cover around 55,000 publicly appointed cases.
Wisconsin’s $40 rate is among the lowest in the country and has remained steady for about 25 years.
Milwaukee criminal defense attorney John Birdsall co-authored the petition. He says the $100 rate is fair, considering the costs of office space, insurance, staff and legal services.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court said in 2011 that the low pay rate may lead to ineffective lawyers taking up criminal defense cases.
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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, https://www.jsonline.com
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