ATTORNEYS

The Licking County Bar Association sent a letter to the commissioners in early May asking for an increase in the hourly fees paid to court-appointed attorneys. The letter says that there has been no increase in the fees since 1995 and that Licking County has the second lowest fees in the state, behind only Vinton County.

“Simply put, the current fee schedule has not kept pace with inflation,” the letter said.

The county Bar Association proposal includes a $15-an-hour pay increase for both in-court and out-of-court work performed.

The increase would take the payment rates to $50 an hour for out-of-court work and $60 an hour for work in the courtroom. The maximum amount an attorney could bill for would also increase in proportion to the hourly rates.

The increase would amount to $9 an hour for the county. The state reimburses counties for 40 percent of the cost of court-appointed attorneys.

Attorneys met with the Licking County commissioners on July 10 and were told they would have a response by July 20, according to Monday’s letter. No response had been received as of Monday.

Ohio Public Defender Tim Young said the lawyers taking a stand are not doing Ohio Public Defender Tim Young

“You don’t get rich doing court- appointed work. This is about doing the job right, and they can’t do the job right getting paid this way.”

it for the money.

“You don’t get rich doing court-appointed work,” he said. “This is about doing the job right, and they can’t do the job right getting paid this way.”

Young said investigators hired on a case could be paid more than double what the attorney is being paid.

“If your brother or sister were charged with a crime, this isn’t a system they’d want where the lawyer is only getting $35 an hour,” Young said.

National studies have shown the average hourly cost to run a law office is $40 an hour, Young said.

The increase would put Licking County’s fees on par with what Franklin, Knox, Pickaway and Coshocton counties currently pay.

“There are lawyers in Columbus who go to Coschocton County or Muskingum because they pay more,” Licking County Common Pleas Court Judge David Branstool said. “They drive right through our county.”

Branstool said the current situation puts judges of all types in a difficult position.

“If trial judges don’t have lawyers, cases will have to be continued,” he said. “At some point, people would have to be released from jail. ... The system would come to a grinding halt.”

The Licking County commissioners plan to take action on the fee schedule during their Tuesday meeting. Commissioner Tim Bubb said the commissioners are in favor of raising the fees and have expressed that to the attorneys.

“It’s been at least two decades since their compensation was revisited, and it’s overdue,” Bubb said. “But it’s not something you can just snap your fingers and act on.”

Bubb said the commissioners’ staff has been working behind the scenes to make sure the compensation process is properly updated and the funds are there to cover the increased cost.