To the editor:

Your useful Nov. 10 article on Douglas County’s low pay for indigent panel defense attorneys understated the problem. Billable hours are some half of hours worked, omitting things like outreach, office management, billing, continuing education, committee meetings, planning, travel to court and contract negotiation. Also, attorneys pay some half of receipts for office support and overhead.

That alone would reduce the $50 Douglas County pays per hour billed to $12.50 earned per hour worked. But on top of that, Douglas County judges routinely disallow some of the hours claimed if the attorney works too hard for the client (without prior notice and without fixed rules). Also, many panel members are new lawyers still repaying law school loans at $2 or $3 per hour worked. On net, a panel attorney is likely to make less than Lawrence’s living wage.

I am not saying the system is unsustainable. Lawrence always has new attorneys struggling to establish a practice; some will accept part-time panel appointments as fill-in until they get better established. What I am saying is:

1. The payments are unconscionable, and

2. The system creates strong incentives against adequate representation for poor people.

I for one would pay a few more tax dollars to end this exploitation.

David Burress,

Lawrence