Your constitutional right to a lawyer means more than just a warm body. That's why ACLU of MAINE Legal Director Zach Heiden will testify today in favor of standards for lawyers who provide indigent defense. The hearing is TODAY, December 14, before the Maine Indigent Defense Commission at 1 pm at the Judiciary Committee hearing room at the State House in Augusta. Maine is unique from many states in that Maine has no state public defender system. We rely completely on private attorneys to take on cases for those defendants who cannot afford to hire their own lawyers.
The standards make a great deal of common sense. The new proposed requirements recognize that certain complex or specialized areas of practice--including homicide, serious violent felonies, juvenile defense, and involuntary commitment--require more experience and skill. For the specialized areas, the Commission will only appoint lawyers who have practiced for a certain number of years and who have handled a certain number of trials, though a waiver provision is available, to account for special circumstances.
The Portland Press Herald editorialized today in favor of the standards in an opinion editorial titled, "Our View: Standards are needed for indigents' attorneys." We agree. Join us today in Augusta to help make sure that the right to an attorney means something.