MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Private attorneys in Wisconsin are again pushing for a pay increase when they are appointed by the state public defender to represent criminal defendants who can’t afford a lawyer. The state Supreme Court has scheduled a May 16 hearing to listen to the arguments about increasing the pay rate to $100 an hour. The current pay rate of $40 an hour is the lowest in the U.S. The Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Wisconsin Association of Justice and a group of lawyers that includes two former state Supreme Court justices, a former state attorney general and several prominent criminal defense attorneys filed a petition regarding the pay raise last year. The rate isn’t enough to mount a serious defense, lawyers said. Costs include acquiring expert witnesses and investigators, running an office and an attorney’s salary. The pay rate has been an issue for decades. The Office of the State Public Defender has asked to increase the reimbursement in all of its budget requests since 1995.
