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Oct 9, 2008 11:43 am US/Eastern
Courts To Pay Attorneys For Indigent Defendants
BALTIMORE (AP) ―
State Public Defender Nancy Forster says her office can no longer afford to hire private attorneys when conflicts of interest prevent her office from representing indigent defendants.
She says the cost-cutting move was needed to balance her budget. Her office spent about $4.5 million last year for so-called panel attorneys.
For now, the Maryland district courts and the Baltimore City Circuit Court have agreed to appoint and pay the private attorneys, but a long-term funding solution is unclear.
Michael Kaminkow, with the Bar Association of Baltimore City, says a permanent funding fix must come from the legislature.
A spokesman for Gov. Martin O'Malley says no long-term solution has been reached.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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