Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2020

Keywords

access to justice, rural, court appointments

Disciplines

Courts | Law | Legal Profession

Abstract

Hourly rates paid to court-appointed lawyers impact access to justice. Court appointed lawyers provide necessary counsel in civil and criminal cases, yet hourly rates in many jurisdictions are so low that many lawyers cannot afford to take court-appointed cases. This article argues that low hourly rates cause problems: namely, appointed lawyers will be insufficient in number, inaccessible to their clients, and sometimes even ineffective. These problems are heightened in rural America where they are compounded by geographical distance and the rural lawyer shortage. This article concludes by suggesting a number of policy solutions.

Publication Title

14 University of St. Thomas Journal of Law and Public Policy 88 (2020)

Volume

14

Issue

1

First Page

88

Last Page

129

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