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Effects of Massachusetts public defenders strike felt across state as advocates fight for higher wages
Updated: 5:43 PM EDT May 28, 2025
Sharman Sacchetti
Political Reporter and Co-Host of WCVB’s “On The Record”
BOSTON —
Private lawyers with the Massachusetts Bar Advocate Program say they will not take new court-appointed cases until they get a pay raise.
The base hourly rate for court-appointed lawyers in Massachusetts is $65. In Rhode Island, it's $112, in New Hampshire, $125, and in Maine, it's $150 per hour.
"It's woefully inadequate. No one's asking to be paid what private attorneys get paid. I have a private practice," said attorney and Bar Advocate Sean Delaney. "We're just looking for something that's fair and reasonable."
The effects of the strike are already being felt in Massachusetts courtrooms. A Boston man accused of grabbing a police officer's gun and shooting himself in the foot was told by a judge that he wouldn't be receiving a court-appointed lawyer.
FULL story and video at link.