New Organization Advocates for Fair Compensation
Massachusetts Association of Private Appointed Counsel (MAPAC) is a new organization launched to advocate for fair compensation for bar advocates and the preservation of constitutional representation in Massachusetts. Please Join MAPAC in their mission advocating for systemic change and the right to counsel.
MACDL Statement on the Frances Choy Case
On June 3, 2020, the Supreme Judicial Court sent a letter to the “Judiciary and Members of the Bar” condemning racism in the courts and in the legal profession. It was an unprecedented call to action: “As judges, we must look afresh at what we are doing, or failing to do, to root out any conscious or unconscious bias in our courtrooms…We must recognize and address our own […]
Statement on Legislative Proposal Regarding Bar Advocate Compensation
Yesterday, the Massachusetts legislature voted to pass an increase in bar advocate hourly rates over two years — with a $10 increase to go into effect August 1, 2025, and another $10 increase to go into effect August 1, 2026. We know this is not enough, and MACDL will continue to support the tireless advocacy, commitment, and selflessness of the many bar advocates who stand in solidarity to […]
MACDL is Deeply Disappointed that the FY26 State Budget Did Not Increases Bar Advocate Rates
Yesterday, June 30, 2025, the Massachusetts House and Senate adopted the conference committee report on the FY26 budget. MACDL is deeply disappointed that the Committee on Public Counsel Services (CPCS) line-item 0321-1510, which funds the work of the bar advocates, is level funded from FY25 and below the funding level included in the final Senate budget, and that no rate increases were included for bar advocates for any […]
Constitutional Crisis Deepens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2025
Constitutional Crisis Deepens: Hundreds in Massachusetts Now Without Court-Appointed Lawyers as Indigent Defense System Buckles.
BOSTON, MA – Two weeks after the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) warned of a looming crisis in the Commonwealth’s indigent defense system, the crisis is no longer theoretical—it is unfolding in real time, and the numbers are troubling.
People in Courts across the state are currently […]
MACDL Supports Bar Advocates’ Action
Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Warn of Impending Crisis as Bar Advocates Halt Case Acceptance Due to Unsustainable Pay
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2025
BOSTON, MA – The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) stands in full solidarity with bar advocates who are refusing to take additional court-appointed cases as a result of the unsustainably low compensation rates. Bar advocates—independent attorneys appointed by the state to represent low-income defendants—currently […]