Uinta County raises conflict-attorney rate to $120 an hour to rebuild roster

The Uinta County Commission approved an increase in the hourly rate paid to conflict attorneys from $90 to $120, a change county public defenders said was needed to recruit attorneys for conflict appointments.

Lance Dean, chief public defender, said the $90 rate had been unchanged for many years and that low pay made it difficult to staff a roster of conflict counsel. "Our current rate has been $90 an hour for years," Dean said, and the office had struggled to find lawyers willing to accept appointments at that rate. He told commissioners an outreach to other counties found rates ranging from about $100 in smaller counties to $150 in some jurisdictions; he said a $120 rate should make Uinta County competitive.

Dean said the increase would be applied immediately and that the change is intended to reduce appointment delays and avoid potential ineffective-assistance claims caused by lack of counsel. The commission approved a motion to raise the rate; the vote was recorded by voice and carried.

Separately, the commission ratified a previously signed contract for conflict counsel for a single case with attorney Brian Fries at $120 per hour and approved that ratification in the meeting record. The ratification covered a single, named contract already signed by the parties and asked the commission to formalize it in the minutes.

Commissioners did not attach additional conditions to the rate change; staff said forms were redlined to reflect the new rate and that the adjustment is effective immediately.