Board of Directors to Hold Meeting with Bar Advocates March 17, 2010

Letter from John Salsberg, Chair of the Board of Directors of Suffolk Lawyers for Justice

      Ten years ago, Suffolk Lawyers for Justice was founded as a non-profit corporation dedicated to ensuring the high quality representation of poor people by court appointed counsel in Suffolk County. SLJ replaced the bar advocate program administered by the Boston Bar Association. Our Board of Directors consists of attorneys whose careers have been dedicated to championing justice for individuals accused of criminal conduct in the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and elsewhere.

         In keeping with SLJ's mission and with each individual board member’s commitment to equal justice, we volunteer our time and expertise to a variety of endeavors and projects. We do our best to provide meaningful supervision of attorneys with specific needs on cases and evaluations of lawyers as mandated by CPCS. We participate in the ongoing effort to raise the hourly rates paid to bar advocates. We conduct low-cost trainings to keep our panel attorneys informed about developments in criminal law.

         We recognize that our goals will only be achieved if we strive to do a better job as a Board and ask that panel attorneys likewise examine their own practices and find ways to become better advocates. The current economic upheaval caused by a worldwide recession has put more pressure on an already underfunded public defense system in Massachusetts. Nobody is suffering more than our clients, who turn to us to not only solve their legal predicament, but for help with alcohol and drug addiction resources, possible deportation, divorce, dysfunctional families, and so on. We recognize that the demands on panel attorneys are enormous and the expectations of SLJ are considerable.

         With an increasing number of qualified attorneys applying to our program, SLJ recently adopted a new three-year contract application policy. The process is both fair and necessary. Every member of our board and staff will participate in the most important endeavor we have undertaken to date: a thorough review of the efforts and abilities of each bar advocate - current and prospective – to zealously represent their clients. 

         We understand that bar advocates have expressed concern over this new policy and the process that led to its implementation. In an effort to address these issues, SLJ will hold a forum on Wednesday, March 17, at MCLE, 10 Winter Place, Boston (Milstein Hall, main floor.)  All panel attorneys are encouraged to attend and engage in a dialogue with board members about the new policy. We are confident that this new system will serve as a model for securing the best representation possible for indigent people facing criminal charges in the District and Superior Courts of Suffolk County. We look forward to your participation and feedback as we move forward in 2010.

Click here to learn more about the new contract application policy.

Suffolk Lawyers for Justice          101 Tremont Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA  02108           Tel: (617) 348-0088           Fax: (617) 348-0099