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Local News

Barry County recommends staffing for indigent defense in Public Defender's Office

Attorney Kerri Selleck, Barry County Chief Public Defender, is building a staff for a new indigent defense program in the county’s Public Defender’s Office.

 

The Board of Commissioners Tuesday recommended approval of her request to hire local attorneys she selected to represent indigents in court. They are Jackie Baker Sturgis, Carol Dwyer, Shane Henry, Kristen Hoel, James Kinney, Gordon Shane McNeill, Ronald Pierce, Kathryn Russell, Steven Storrs and Kimberly Young.

 

The 10 attorneys, a number determined by the size of the county’s case load, will represent indigents in cases of felonies, misdemeanors, probation violation hearing in both circuit and district courts, Friend of the Court show-cause hearings and personal protection order violations.

 

Selleck sent an e-mail to each member of the Barry County Bar Association, inviting interested attorneys to apply for a place on the contract list; 11 attorneys responded.

 

After a thorough review, she said it was her opinion that they “are the most capable of complying with the new legislation and the new requirements from the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission in terms of indigent defense representation.”

 

The attorney’s contracts call for each receiving a share of a state grant of $350,000, based on experience and longevity of appointment. Payment for arraignment and initial interview with a client is billed by the attorney at $55 an hour.

 

Selleck will divide cases among attorneys on a roughly equal basis, using a table of points assigned to various cases. For example, a murder case is assigned 30 points; a type A felony, punishable by less than five years in prison, is four points.

 

Barry County has been preparing for months to implement the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission’s new compliance plan that has the first set of standards for indigent defense systems across the state covering training and education for assigned counsel, initial interviews, use of experts and investigators and counsel at first appearance and all critical stages of the proceedings.

 

The commission will act on the recommendation at its next meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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