<p style="text-align: justify;">Public defenders provide a much-needed advocacy service in our legal system. Frequently, criminal defendants who are poor or unable to pay for legal services (indigent) need help to navigate the courts to receive a fair trial. A public defender is the best option available to them. One of the tenets of the legal system in the United States is that every person has a right to a fair trial. Having available a well-paid group of public advocates, therefore, is essential in assuring that right for all individuals, regardless of their financial situation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The need for public defenders arose from the Supreme Court&#8217;s 1963 ruling in</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Gideon v. Wainwright</em>, a Florida case that established the right to counsel for indigent</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">defendants. In this unanimous decision of 50 years ago, Justice Hugo Black wrote the majority opinion. Interestingly, he reversed the Court&#8217;s decision in a similar case 20 years prior that he dissented in <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Betts v. Brady 316 U.S. 455 (1942)</span></em>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Comparative Salaries of Public Sector and Public Interest Attorneys</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A study conducted in 2010 makes clear the median income for attorneys involved in the public</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">sector at the entry level, 5 years and beyond 10 years. They are as follows:</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Median Entry Level Income (2010):</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">1. Civil Legal Service Providers: $42,000</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">2. Local Prosecutors: $50,000</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">3. Public Interest Organizations: $47,500</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">4. Public Defenders, $45,000</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Median Income at 5 Years (2010):</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">1. Civil Legal Service Providers: $49,440</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">2. Local Prosecutors: $62,320</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">3. Public Interest Organizations: $53,560</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">4. Public Defenders: $60,280</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Median Income beyond 10 Years (2010):</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">1. Civil Legal Service Providers: $60,000</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">2. Local Prosecutors: $81,500</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">3. Public Interest Organizations: $70,875</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">4. Public Defenders: $76,160</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It is interesting to note the disparity in median income between public defenders and local prosecutors. At entry level, public defenders make 10 percent less than local prosecutors; at the 5-year mark, the gap closes to a 3 percent difference in median income; beyond 10 years, the gap between public defenders and local prosecutors is 7 percent. As a reference, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">median pay of all attorneys in the U.S. (regardless of years of experience) is $112,760.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Why Public Defenders Should Be Paid More</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The rate of pay for public defenders should be commensurate with, if not higher than, local prosecutors’; they presumably share similar workloads. The caseload amount for public defenders in many jurisdictions is so high, in fact, that it inhibits their ability to provide adequate counsel.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A recent 5-2 ruling by the Florida Supreme Court (<em>Public Defender, Eleventh Judicial Circuit of </em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Florida, et al. vs. State of Florida, et al. (2013))</em> will allow attorneys in the Miami-Dade County public defender&#8217;s office to reject cases due to excessive workloads. This would be a significant blow to <em>Gideon</em>, particularly in its 50th anniversary, because it likely would reduce access for certain indigent persons thanks to an overwhelmed system.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Paying public defenders more would provide an incentive to attract more graduating law students and other lawyers to join the ranks of the public defender&#8217;s office. As the</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>11th Circuit Public Defender vs. State of Florida</em> case pointed out, a Miami-Dade</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">County public defender may average a weekly case load of 50 felony cases; this works out to more than 2,600 cases a year per attorney.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Failing to close the gap between the salaries of public defense and local prosecution</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">(a difference of up to three times between the two) will only further the disparity between the</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">rights of the accused and the interests of the public.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Byline</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Perry Garrett is a freelance writer who pens articles on a wide variety of legal issues such as Criminal Defense,</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Traffic Offenses, Personal Injury, DUIs and others as well.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Image credit goes to</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ken Lund.</p>

Should Public Defenders Be Paid More?
