IN THE NEWS: State’s Top Court Says It Won’t Intrude on Legislature’s Right to Set Pay for Court-Appointed Attorneys

The state’s high court Monday said it won’t intrude on the Legislature’s right to set pay rates for lawyers representing indigent clients in Massachusetts courthouses.

The Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling is the latest development in the dispute between the Legislature and private lawyers, known as bar advocates, who say they deserve higher pay rates than those that took effect in May.

Suma V. Nair, president of the Boston Bar Association, said the SJC ruling should spark an effort to find a long-term solution, since a shortage of bar advocates has surfaced repeatedly over the years.

“If we want lasting stability, we must do more than temporarily patch the immediate crisis,” she said. “Bar advocate compensation must appropriately reflect the seriousness and complexity of this work.”