No More Legal Aid Services Without Stipend Increase  

Belize’s criminal courts could face a major disruption on August first. The Association of Defense Attorneys says its members will stop accepting court-appointed criminal cases unless government addresses a long-promised increase in legal aid stipends. Defense attorneys currently receive two thousand dollars for cases assigned by the court, but they say those same matters can cost around fifteen thousand dollars on the private market. The association says the decision was not easy, but members argue they can no longer carry the weight of serious criminal defense work at a fraction of the cost. ADA member Orson Elrington explains why attorneys are taking this stand.

 

Orson Elrington, Attorney at Law

“ The members of our association will not accept anymore, what my good senior called court-appointed matters. These are the matters for which essentially we work pro bono. The Association of Defense Attorneys, again, I will be very pessimistic and say does ninety-five percent of these matters because again, we’re talking about murder trials. All right? And I have seen where there is an issue that I must bring to the attention of the public where again, and we’re- or us doing this is not an attempt to cripple the judiciary and to cripple the access to justice for those persons who cannot afford it. But this again has been a commitment that the administration has made and committed that they would change it, understanding that it was costing our membership to represent people. When you’re going to travel all the way to Toledo, hotel, et cetera, and my good brother had mentioned a five – It’s not five, it’s two thousand dollars.  When my good brother can tell you at the private bar, you’re looking at a minimum of about fifteen thousand dollars if you’re going at the private bar. We had come to a compromise, and they said seven thousand five hundred so that it is somewhere in the middle to cover your expenses, et cetera, and something for your time. All right? So this, our decision is that come the first of August, our membership will not take any more court-appointed matters. Now, some might say, well, the members of the Bar Association can go ahead and go and do that. But guess what happened? I have seen where persons who have never done an Indictable, they have not even done an indictable matter before. I’m not talking about murder, much less murder. They’ve never done a murder matter before, and because they are so quick to say, “I completed a case,” they assign it to somebody. And that poor person is put before a judge and you know what is the conclusion of that, right?”

 

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