Many Public Defenders in Indiana Getting Compensated Less Than Minimum Wage
“Many attorneys doing public defender work do so under contract with counties – meaning they get paid a flat amount, regardless of the number of hours they work. And that’s the primary method of public defense in about a third of Indiana,” reports Brandon Smith in Indiana Public Media.
“Many lawyers in Indiana doing public defender work earn less than minimum wage, after accounting for overhead costs.”
“Those attorneys have significant overhead costs that public defenders who are employees of the counties don’t have, staffing and office space the most significant.”
“And when taking into account those overhead costs, the Public Defender Commission’s survey says contract attorneys earn less than $6 per hour.”
