Bar advocates said Monday they have not been involved in any conversations with legislative leadership about a resolution to the labor crisis that’s resulted in more than 100 court cases being dismissed, even though top House and Senate Democrats suggested the situation could be fixed “soon.”
House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka told reporters their teams continue to work on a solution to the pay dispute that has led bar advocates to stop accepting new cases representing indigent defendants. Spilka called on the attorneys to reverse course in the meantime, contending that “people are being hurt” as a result of their stance.
Neither Healey nor legislative leaders have taken a stance on whether they believe attorneys’ pay should be raised and have not dictated a specific figure they think attorneys should be paid.
The work stoppage “has pushed our justice system to the brink,” according to Boston Bar Association President Matt McTygue. “What began as a crisis of compensation has escalated into a full-blown emergency, one that threatens the safety of our communities and the public’s faith in the justice system,” he said in a statement Friday.
